Mum who took her kids on term-time holiday to celebrate her cancer recovery has been fined because her reasons were not considered 'exceptional circumstances'
Image by: Alex Cousins SWNS
A mum who took her kids on a term-time holiday to celebrate her cancer recovery has been fined £788 because her reasons were not considered 'exceptional circumstances'.
Katie McDermott, 36, went through 18 weeks of chemotherapy and had a double mastectomy after finding a lump in her breast in November 2017.
Doctors declared the mum-of-four clear of cancer last year and, in October, she applied to Central Lancaster High School - which two of her children attend - for six days' leave in December.
The NHS worker and her husband Darren, 40, only got a response from the school seven weeks later - just two days before they were due to go away.
To their shock, the letter rejected the application but, with only 48 hours' notice, the family had no time to rearrange the holiday and travelled to Tenerife despite the school's ruling.
On their return they received a letter from the local authority, which passed the case on to Lancaster Magistrates' Court, and a fine was issued.
After appealing the decision, last month Katie and Darren, from Lancaster, Lancs., were fined a total of £788 for taking their children out of school without permission.
The couple say their secondary school aged children, Joseph, 14, and Oliver, 12, have never applied for leave from their school before.
They added their five-year-old daughter Ava was given permission for holiday leave from her primary school without a problem and their youngest Ella, four, is still at nursery.
Katie said: "The kids have been so good throughout everything, it was really difficult but they kept going.
"They have always gone into school and done their work without any problems at all.
"The school have said they were model students and that we should be proud of them.
"I really feel like they deserved this trip after everything they have been through.
"The way we have been treated is really upsetting."
Darren, who works as a plumber, said the holiday was a surprise treat for the children to give them a chance to spend time with their mum after so much upheaval.
He said: "We have never taken the kids out of school before, it was just to take them away with Katie after all she had been through.
"We put a holiday request form in the day before the October half-term break.
"We expected a decision the week back at school which would have given us plenty of time to change the holiday, which we would have done.
"But we didn’t get a reply from the school and it got to the week before the holiday and I said to Katie that we should ring the school, and when she rang it was as though they didn’t know what she was talking about.
"A letter was then sent home that Thursday, when we flew on the Saturday.
"It said we had not been given permission to take the boys out of school, but at that point it was too late, we didn’t have the chance to change it.
"We are in a financial struggle after Katie's treatment but it's not the fine I am bothered about, it's about how we have been portrayed as not really caring, which is totally untrue.
"There just seems to be no consistency, we know of lots of people who have been authorised for holidays."
Image by: Alex Cousins SWNS
Image by: Alex Cousins SWNS
Image by: Alex Cousins SWNS
The holiday was paid for by friends and family who hosted a fundraising event and donated the money towards a trip abroad.
The term-time dates were chosen by the family due to price constraints.
Darren said he spoke to the local authority, which confirmed it should have taken a few days for the school to respond to a holiday request.
Darren said: "Had the rejection letter come within a few weeks of the application, the family would have been happy to rearrange the holiday."
The letter, written by the school's attendance officer and sent home with Joseph, actually arrived seven weeks later on November 29.
It said: "Parents may request a leave of absence in term time but this can only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.
"I have discussed your request with the headteacher who does not feel this request is exceptional.
"While sympathetic to your circumstances we are unable to set a precedent by authorising leave during term- time."
Nicola Hall, head teacher at Central Lancaster High School, said: "As a school we empathise with the wide range of sensitive issues which require compassion and consideration in all of our families.
"In accordance with regulations imposed by the government, the school has adopted a policy not to authorise term-time family holidays.
"We recognise the importance of children being consistently in school to access their whole curriculum offer.
“We hope all parents understand the limitations placed on schools in granting leave."
Katie and Darren have been invited into school to speak to Mrs Hall.
They are crowdfunding to raise money to pay for the fine. Donate here: https://uk.gofundme.com/f/go-fund-page-for-darren-and-katie-mcdermott
Image by: Alex Cousins SWNS
CAMPAIGN FOR TEEN - Outrage as popular and bright teen dumped by human traffickers as a child near where Sajid Javid grew up faces deportation
Image by: Tom Wren SWNS
A popular and bright teen dumped by human traffickers as a child near where Home Secretary Sajid Javid grew up now faces deportation by his office.
Stiven Bregu, 18, was left by people-smugglers alone in the middle of the night near Bristol five years ago - and could barely speak English.
He was sent to the UK against his will to escape the violence of Albania and was left in a street in Keynsham, Somerset.
Stiven was left with no money or possessions when he was dropped in the UK - but managed to find a police station and was taken into care by a foster family in Bristol.
He then enrolled at the city’s St Mary Redcliffe School and within six months had learned enough English to make friends.
He went on to become an excellent student who passed his GCSEs with flying colours at the school - three miles from Stapleton Road where Sajid Javid grew up.
But now he has turned 18 has been told he will be deported by the Home Office.
Staff and students at his school have launched an online petition which has so far been signed more than 4,000 times to force a U-turn on the decision.
Stiven is currently sitting A-levels in biology, maths and chemistry, and is expected to achieve high grades.
Rob Shaw, sixth form tutor, said: “Stiven did extraordinarily well in his GCSEs, better than anyone expected, and progressed to Sixth Form where he has again excelled.
“He has been identified as a student who will be a future leader demonstrated with his success at being selected on to the City Leadership Programme.
“He even spoke at the Global Parliament of Mayors Summit in October last year and received a standing ovation.
“Stiven has developed strong relationships with a wide group of friends and plays an important role in the school and wider community, including giving up his time to support younger students.
“He could easily go to university, but he’s very grounded and has decided he wants to get an apprenticeship. He’s amazing at maths, so has been offered a really good apprenticeship.
“He is a positive role model for other vulnerable young people in our city and beyond.
“After his A-levels, Stiven is hoping to accept an apprenticeship offer that he has received from Rowan Dartington, a wealth management firm in Bristol.”
In 2017, despite being in the country for only two years, Stiven excelled at his GCSEs.
He said at the time: “I am really pleased with my results.
“I am in two minds whether to study medicine or engineering at university.
“The last two years have been challenging but manageable meeting different people, different languages and different cultures.
“In the beginning it was hard but I got with it. School was so different to how things work in Albania.
“I did speak some English when I came to Britain but the way the teachers teach English in Albania is different to the way we speak and write English here so I started again fresh.”
Image by: Tom Wren SWNS
Image by: Tom Wren SWNS
A week before his first A-level exam, the Home Office denied his application to remain in the UK.
He has an appeal hearing in July but the stress of preparing for it has hindered his A-level revision.
Mr Shaw added: “Unless his appeal is successful he faces deportation back to Albania, a country which he has no connections to and no family contacts.
“We need the Home Office to reconsider this in light of the difficult circumstances surrounding Stiven’s arrival in the UK, his current contribution to this society, and also the absolute uncertainty of what he would be going back to in Albania.
“As a young man with so much ambition and talent, Stiven is a tremendous asset, and would give back tenfold to a nation and city that have looked after him so well.”
Home secretary Sajid Javid grew up in a two-bedroom flat above his parents’ shop in Stapleton Road in the north-east of Bristol with his four brothers.
Mr Javid said in April the area had been dubbed "Britain's most dangerous street", provoking criticism from local residents who said his comment was not justifiable.
He told youth workers in London: "It's not so difficult to see how, instead of being in cabinet, I could have turned out to have a life of crime myself.
“There were drug addicts who stood near my school gates and told me if I joined in I could make some easy money.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Government has a proud record of providing protection for asylum seekers who are fleeing persecution.
“When assessing asylum claims, all available evidence is carefully and sensitively considered in light of published country information.
“Stiven Bregu’s application to remain in the UK was refused as he did not qualify for asylum under immigration rules.”
ADVENTURE CAT - Meet the curious cat who hikes, bikes, paddleboards and even goes SKIING with his devoted owner.
Image by: Michelle Gagnon
Meet Bodhi - the curious cat who hikes, bikes, paddleboards and even goes SKIING with his devoted owner.
Adorable Bodhi has completed a three-day biking tour through the Canadian Rockies, been cross-country skiing and wears his own life jacket when he goes paddleboarding.
Owner Michelle Gagnon, 50, calls Bodhi her "adventure cat" and has been teaching him a host of adrenaline-packed pursuits for the last ten months.
Michelle, a retired hiking guide, of Canmore, Alberta, Canada, said: "An adventure cat is a term I made up 18 years ago when I got my old cat Bugaboo.
"An adventure cat comes along with you on adventures whether that means he's sitting in a bike basket or walking alongside you or sitting on your shoulders."
Bodhi, 14-month-old Maine Coon cat, has a robust build, weighing a staggering 16 pounds (7.3kg) - about twice the size of the average tabby.
Maine Coons are classified as the largest domesticated cat breed and are one of the oldest natural breeds in North America. They are native to the state of Maine, where it is the official state cat.
Michelle says training a cat to cope with the great outdoors can be a difficult feat as felines like to feel in control of their environment.
She said: "Cats have this real desire to keep themselves safe and they have a very high instinctual survival mode.
"They have to be in control of everything and training a cat is about getting them used to everything outside, like wide open spaces and walking on sidewalks.
"I'm putting in lots of hours in training and getting Bodhi to walk as much as possible.
"He is now way better with wide open spaces and walking on a trail and understanding that wildlife moves around him."
Michelle got Bodhi in December last year and immediately began taking the puss cross-country skiing.
She added: "I didn't know how I was going to train him in the winter time but I just decided to take him cross-country skiing.
"He walked behind me on the snow and then on the way down, he curled up on my shoulders and I skied down with him on my shoulders.
"Sitting on my shoulders is always his safe spot. He has also been hiking in the mountains, his furthest hike is almost 6km.
"The biggest thing that slows him down is wild animal smells and that's a very real
thing living where we do in Canmore.
"If it's a predator like a cougar or a coyote, it can really slow him down and even stop him."
Image by: Michelle Gagnon
Image by: Michelle Gagnon
Image by: Michelle Gagnon
Image by: Michelle Gagnon
Image by: Michelle Gagnon
Image by: Michelle Gagnon
Bodhi doesn't stop at just hiking and cross-country skiing, the adventure cat also enjoys biking and paddleboarding.
Michelle added: "He has done stand up paddleboarding. He wears a little life jacket when he's on his paddleboard.
"He has gone a couple of big bike tours and we have biked some of the most scenic roads of the Canadian Rockies.
"One was two-days long and the other was three-days long. I made him a special basket for the front of my bike. We did 100km a day."
Michelle, who named Bodhi after the Sanskrit term for enlightenment, said that she considers the beautiful cat her child.
"Bugaboo was definitely my baby and when he died last November, I felt like I had lost a child. Now Bodhi is like my next child.
"I want him to have positive experiences on all of our adventures and build his confidence. You have to make it interesting for them.
"I try not to use treats as then they just want more treats. I try to use a lot of positive encouragement."
You can follow along with Bodhi's adventures on his Instagram account @bodhi_theadventurecat.
Video by: Gabriella Petty
WHAT A MESS - Mum films her shock discovery of her triplet toddlers who got their hands on a tub of Sudocrem
Image by: Lyndsey Palmer
This is the moment a mum discovered her adorable triplet toddlers had decided to decorate themselves and their bedroom -- with a massive tub of nappy rash cream.
Lyndsey Birrell Palmer, 35, thought two-year-olds Indi, Ella and Lexi were having a nap until she heard them moving around in their room.
But teacher Lyndsey was shocked when she opened their bedroom door and found they had got their little hands on a tub of Sudocrem.
The cheeky trio had smeared it all over themselves - paying special attention to their hair - and also their bedroom furniture and walls.
Lyndsey couldn't help but laugh and called her wife Lesley, 34, in to witness the carnage and took a funny video of the carnage on the 22nd of September.
The mum from King's Park, Glasgow, said: "The girls were napping for about an hour, and then I heard them moving about the room, which wasn't unusual as they normally do this when they woke up.
"I said to my wife that I would go upstairs and bring them down to the living room now that they were awake.
"As I entered the room, the first thing that I thought was 'that's a funny smell' and as you can imagine, it's not always a nice smell with triplets at this age.
"I popped the light on to see Lexi with a huge grin on her face and white Sudocrem all over her.
"It was only then that I saw the full extent of the drama, and my first thought was 'oh my God, it's EVERYWHERE!'
"I quickly shouted to my wife to bring my phone and come see, and we both burst into laughter.
Image by: Lyndsey Palmer
Image by: Lyndsey Palmer
Image by: Lyndsey Palmer
Image by: Lyndsey Palmer
Looking after the triplets as well was their son Lewie, four, Lyndsey and Lesley are no strangers to mischievous children.
The two teachers met in 2005 on a night out in Glasgow and tied the knot in 2012 before welcoming son Lewie in 2015 and the triplets in 2017.
The married pair always find the funny side to their children's cheeky actions.
Lyndsey said: "The girls are always being cheeky - triplets are a handful, especially at the age they are now!
"They're always putting their pants on over their trousers, and taking their shoes and socks off in the car.
"I have to spend time at the end of every car journey putting them all back on because when one does it, then all of them have to do it!
"They've opened their drawers and pulled all of their clothes out onto the floor so many times that we have now had to duct tape them shut.
"With the Sudocrem incident, the girls are still a bit too young to realise what happened, and Lesley and I were just stood laughing at the mess.
"If they got their hands on another tub, I could guarantee the same thing would happen again!"
Image by: Lyndsey PalmerVideo by: Gabriella Petty
Hundreds of strangers are tested to see if they are a match to help one-year-old girl fighting rare cancer
Image by: Anita Maric SWNS
Hundreds of selfless strangers have come forward to be tested in a bid to find a stem cell match that could save the life of a brave cancer battle toddler.
Little Phoebe Ashfield, aged one, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when she was just seven-months-old and her only hope was a stem cell transplant.
Tragically, Phoebe's parents Emma Wyke, 26, and Jordan Ashfield, 26, were not a match.
So friends and family took to Facebook in a desperate search for stranger donors to come forward in a desperate bid to save Phoebe.
Last weekend, (Saturday 13/7), more than 600 potential donors were swabbed at two locations in the West Midlands to help save brave Phoebe.
The two donor rallies were held at Tipton Sports Academy and at a Tesco Extra in Burntwood.
Phoebe, of Dudley, West Mids., was diagnosed with the condition, where the cancer attacks the white blood cells, at Birmingham Children's Hospital on January 18th.
Image by: Anita Maric SWNS
Image by: Anita Maric SWNS
Image by: Emma Wyke
Mum Emma and dad Jordan, an electrician, had their whole life turned "upside down" following the diagnosis.
Gruelling chemotherapy had not worked for their daughter and sadly the cancer has remained.
Mum-of-one Emma was told Phoebe's best chance of survival was a stem cell transplant, but they, sadly, were not a match.
Emma, who gave up her telesales executive job to be a full-time carer, was "overwhelmed" by the amount of people who turned up to be tested.
She said: "Phoebe was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when she was just seven-months-old. It started off as a cold and chest infection just Christmas last year.
"I had taken her to the doctors and they gave her some antibiotics but she still didn't get over it a week later.
"She had been sick all over her dad and had a temperature of 39 degrees. I took her to Sandwell Hospital and they thought she was anaemic because of how pale she was.
"But when they looked at her bloods, they came back with the diagnosis of blood cancer.
"We didn't know what type of cancer it was until they transferred us over to Birmingham Children's Hospital - which is where she was diagnosed.
"High dose chemotherapy was started and she had blood transfusions and bone marrow aspirates.
"Four months after being diagnosed she relapsed, the chemotherapy wasn't working in way it should've been.
"That is when were told by doctors, Phoebe needed a stem cell transplant as the chemotherapy wasn't working.
"She could be youngest person to have a stem cell transplant as the youngest person known was a two-year-old in America.
"The stem cell drive had taken place at two places on Saturday (13/7).
"One was at Tipton Sports Academy and the other was at the Tesco Extra store on the Birmingham Road in Dudley.
"A friend of mine, Amy Smith and Nikki Price set it up. Nikki is a friend of one of the mums who child goes to the same school at Oscar Saxelby-Lee.
Image by: Emma Wyke
Image by: Emma Wyke
"They worked together and contacted DKMS and they said yes to helping us set up a drive.
"We had 600 people turn up to the drive yesterday (Sat) and we raised £650 for the charity.
"I was full of emotion at the time. It was so overwhelming. The fact that people had taken time out of their day to come down and see if they were a match for Phoebe.
"It just makes things more real. It was such a good turn out. There aren't words to describe it.
"As a parent seeing all these people come down and you can't thank them enough, thank you doesn't seem to enough.
"Phoebe is so brave. It's a lot for a one-year-old to go through. She always smiling. She has her off days but that's normal for a child, but she just a normal happy one-year-old.
"She just so playful and loving. It is just not fair for any child to go through what this.
"If I could, I would take the condition away from her within a second. We just got to be there for her and help her get through this.
"Our world was turned upside down when she got her diagnosis. People can still register online with the Anthony Taylor Trust and DKMS, they don't go down to a drive.
"A swabbing pack will be sent out in the post and then send it back. Then you can help children such as Phoebe, Oscar and others just like them."
The couple are now waiting to discover if any of the good samaritan donors are a match to enable the transplant to go ahead.
Video by: Ashley Moran
SINKING FEELING - Couple "devastated" as their £850k thatched cottage on the Norfolk Broads is sinking
Image by: Adam Harnett
A couple have been 'left devastated' after waking up to find their stunning £850,000 riverside cottage on the Norfolk Broads sinking.
Ken Pitts and wife Gail discovered to their horror that their idyllic thatched home on the River Bure at Horning in Norfolk had developed a severe lift around three months ago.
Neighbours have claimed the 1970s-built cottage started sinking shortly after it was re-thatched because wooden pile foundations had broken under the weight.
The couple have now been forced to move out of their home of 17 years while they wait to find out whether it will have to be demolished.
Signs have been erected around the property with the words 'Danger; Unsafe."
Today Ken said there had been no warning signs that the west side of their home starting to sink and that it simply happened "overnight", leaving them "devastated".
He and his wife declined to speak further and said they are working with their insurers to try and find a resolution.
The site of their reed-thatched home leaning significantly to one side has caused a stir among locals and passers-by.
Some locals took to Facebook to express their concern for the couple.
Local Maggie Tuck said: "I heard one end was steel piles the other was old wooden piles . It's the wood piles that have collapsed.
"They are going to take off the thatch to save it and then demolish . Very sad."
Sally Blackburn added wrote: "We passed this last week and I actually couldn't bear to look at it, too upsetting!"
Viv Garner added: "I used to dream of living there when I was a child. So sad to see this."
The three-bedroom house offers a large garden with a river frontage, along with allocated boat mooring and fishing opportunities.
It also includes a master with king-sized bed and balcony, a well-equipped kitchen and a light and airy sitting room leading out onto a large riverside sundeck.
Over the last five years 25 properties have been sold on the road in the village which has shops, pubs and restaurants.
A Broads Authority spokesperson said: "It is a huge shame that this lovely cottage appears to be in such a precarious position.
"Unfortunately it is something that can be an ongoing danger for properties built on unstable ground.
"We wish the owners all the best as they assess what can be done.
"If the cottage is within our area as a planning authority we would offer free pre-planning advice should this be needed in the future."
The owners of the house were contacted for comment but did not wish to speak.
Image by: Adam Harnett
Image by: Adam Harnett
Image by: Adam Harnett
Building surveyor at North & Hawkins Building Consultancy, Tom North, 40, said: "Looking at it, the chances are there is something going on underground.
"Obviously the area is extremely wet and most of those properties, and certainly the old ones, will have timber pile foundations which will be driven down to the ground.
"One possibility is the house may have timber pile foundations and the timber piles may have broken because the ground below has shifted or has decayed and deteriorated. Because the timber piles have broken it may be imposed by the mass and isn't able to support it anymore.
"It is similar to a rock on top of a wet sponge.
"You can put new foundations in. The questions is whether you try and stabilise it. Sometimes you don't want to risk the damage it may cause."
Video by: Ashley Moran
FINTASTIC SIGHT - Photographer captures incredible shoal of thousands of mobula ray fish cruising through the sea off Mexico
Image by: Nadia Aly
These jaw-dropping images show a sea filled with thousands of mobula ray fish appearing like large winged birds.
Ocean photographer Nadia Aly spent four hours swimming above the huge shoal in Baja California, Mexico.
Mobula rays, which are closely related to sharks and come from the same family as some manta rays, are normally shy and difficult to film.
Nadia, 35, said: “It is very rare to get an encounter like this, with this many rays, in near perfect visibility.
“I estimate that there were over 10,000 rays
“They were also not as skittish as they normally are.”
Image by: Nadia Aly
Image by: Nadia Aly
Image by: Nadia Aly
Image by: Nadia Aly
Image by: Nadia Aly
Image by: Nadia Aly
The animals, known to local fisherman as 'flying tortillas', gather in their thousands before launching themselves out of the ocean.
They are closely related to sharks but have long, flat bodies and wing-like pectoral fins.
They use their fins like wings to reach heights of over two metres before belly-flopping back down into the sea to join the school.
Video by: Nadia Aly
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL - Video captures motorist dozing at the wheel of a 'self-driving' Tesla moving on a busy California highway
Image by: Video Contributor24
This shocking video shows a motorist who appears to be FAST ASLEEP at the wheel of a 'self-driving' Tesla while moving on a busy interstate in California.
The footage was shot from a passing car travelling at around 35mph on Interstate 5 near San Diego on Saturday afternoon [Sept 21, 2019].
Tesla’s autopilot function is capable of keeping a car in lane and changing lanes but users are advised to monitor the system and keep their hands on the wheel at all times.
A passing motorist, who was travelling with his wife and children, said: “He was totally out - none of us could believe it.
“My wife was screaming 'call 911', she was really worried. We called 911 a bit further down the road and they said they’d come and investigate.
“This is the issue with self-driving technology, it allows people to relax so much on the freeway that they fall asleep.
“We were going about 35 or 40 miles per hour when we saw him. The traffic had just started slowing down, there were cars pulling around him and changing lanes. But his car stayed in the same lane while we were next to him.
“I have never seen someone asleep at the wheel like that before, this is a real safety issue that we need to consider for the future. It’s a sign of our times.
“He was driving a Tesla, one of those new electric, full self-driving ones, I think it was a Model 3.”
The Tesla company, fronted by CEO Elon Musk, has come under fire for purportedly overselling the capabilities of its self-driving vehicles.
Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) told NBC News earlier this month: “Drivers are believing that the cars are autonomous, there are no fully autonomous vehicles that are on the market today.”
A Forbes article published last month [August 25, 2019] suggested that Tesla is a long way from creating a fully autonomous car, noting that the current models only “consist of semi-autonomous capabilities.”
There was a fatal Tesla crash in 2018 in California and another last month in Florida, which are still under investigation by the NTSB.
Media reps at Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
Video by: Gabriella Petty
Mum found five-year-old daughter stuffing her face with birthday cake she’d stolen from the living room
Image by: Sharon Pitcaithly
This adorable video shows the moment a mum found her five-year-old daughter stuffing her face with an entire birthday cake she'd stolen from the living room.
Five-year-old Bethany Pitcaithly Nelson pinched her mum Sharon's 50th birthday cake, after it was left on a table following the party.
Sharon discovered her daughter sat in the hallway in her nappy, shoving the massive cake into her mouth.
Home carer Sharon said she found it so funny, she couldn't resist taking a video of cheeky Bethany, in their home in Auchtermuchty in Fife, Scotland.
Image by: Sharon Pitcaithly
Image by: Sharon Pitcaithly
Image by: Sharon Pitcaithly
Sharon said: "The previous night, my children and all my family held a surprise 50th birthday party for me, and when I got home I left it on the living room table.
"It had been a fun but boozy night. I was a little tipsy.
"Bethany went into the living room the next evening, reached up, pulled the box off, then went into the hallway to hide and eat it.
"It was almost a full birthday cake. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw her.
"Once I stopped filming, I sat down and had a bit of cake with her as well!"
Bethany tucked into the cake at around 9pm on June 16.
Sharon said mischievous Bethany gets into all sorts of bother when her mum's back is turned, and has even broken four TVs in six months.
Video by: Sharon Pitcaithly
Cat stuck on a bridge for SIX days has shocked her owner by wandering home - after a £5k rescue mission by firefighters was called off
Image by: TM Devonlive
A cat at the centre of a £5K mission to save her from a bridge simply wandered home - hours after rescuers had left.
Hatty the five-year-old Maine Coon-Serengeti cross had been perched on a ledge of the 'Brunel bridge' in Plymouth, Devon - for six DAYS.
Thousands of people followed her plight online and as crowds gathered to help some even tried to send up food - with catapults.
Fire crews and the RSPCA were dispatched and Network Rail were making arrangements to close the rail line over the bridge.
Firefighters arrived on Wednesday lunchtime and prepared the ground before sending up a massive ladder.
One rescuer scaled to the top armed with a large bag and tried to tempt the feline out - with 'Dreamies' cat treats.
But they failed to coax Hatty and the cat was last seen peering out from behind a crevice under the famous bridge.
Image by: Jon Mills
Image by: Jon Mills
Fire crews eventually called off the rescue - which costs the taxpayer about £500 an hour - on Wednesday at 5pm and vowed to return the next day.
But at 11.30pm after everyone had left Hatty simply clambered down and suddenly appeared at home - with evidence she'd eaten a SEAGULL to stave off the hunger.
Owner Kirsty Howden, 39, of Saltash, Cornwall, said she was "shocked and elated" that her beloved pet, who initially went missing from her home on May 11, had returned.
The mother-of-three said she had been about to leave the house to meet Network Rail and RSPCA staff at 11.30pm on Wednesday to attempt a second rescue attempt.
It is thought the total cost the the rescue involving staff from fire crews, the RSPCA and Network rail was around £5,000.
She said: "I was sat responding to comments, heard a meow outside, had a look through the window and there she was.
"She is a bit skinny and smelly, very vocal and has now headed upstairs and put herself to bed."
She said that Hatty appeared to seem very pleased to see her two dogs, and there was "kisses all round".
Just hours earlier a major operation to rescue Hatty was called off for the night.
She is believed to have been stuck on the Royal Albert Bridge, known locally as the 'Brunel Bridge' since last Thursday and has been missing from her home for two weeks.
Firefighters spent most of the day trying to coax her down and there were countless visits from RSPCA inspectors.
There were also arrangements in place by Network Rail for the train lines to be closed.
It is understood that at a cost of around £500 an hour the total bill for the rescue efforts was around £5,000.
But it seems that the five-year-old feline didn't need rescuing at all and Kirsty says she walked in like nothing had happened.
The cat first hit the headlines on Tuesday evening when a picture emerged of her being on the Royal Albert Bridge, also known as the 'Brunel bridge' which connects Plymouth and Saltash.
These had been taken by Dawn Lapthorn, admin of the popular Facebook page Plymouth UK Pets Lost and Found.
Image by: TM Devonlive
Image by: TM Devonlive
Dawn had been contacted by Kirsty Howden, who had seen photos of her missing kitty on the page.
Both of the women attended the bridge in a bid to look for Hatty, but at around 9pm on Tuesday contacted the fire service for help.
On Wednesday morning, fire crews, Network Rail and RSPCA inspectors worked together to try and attempt to get Hatty off of the bridge.
Firefighters from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service spent most of Wednesday trying to coax Hatty out of a nook in one of the bridge pillars.
Dreamies and fish were used in a bid to coax the cat out, but nothing was successful - although she did manage to capture a seagull.
This attempted rescue was called off at around 5pm and at that point, Hatty's owner Kirsty had spent the best part of ten hours down at the foot of the bridge waiting for her safe arrival.
There were plans for the RSPCA, firefighters and Network Rail to meet at 11.30pm on Wednesday evening to attempt a second rescue.
There were also plans to close a section of the railway in the early hours of this morning so firefighters could carry out the rescue from the railway tracks.
But neither were needed and after she returned home, Kirsty has thanked everyone who helped in attempting to rescue Hatty, as well as everyone who offered support.
She added: "I'd like to thank Dawn for going above and beyond, Jim from the RSPCA for all his help, Saltash fire crew for all their efforts.
"I'd also like to thank the people who have followed Hatty's story and the community in Saltash for rallying around, especially the ones who tried so hard to help get Hatty home."
