Home and Away Spoilers – Irene and Leah face bankruptcy in Diner scandal
Next week on Home and Away in the UK, the future of Tane’s disadvantaged youths program hangs in the balance, while the diner faces closure as Irene gets devastating news from the insurers.
Irene (Lynne McGranger) and Leah’s (Ada Nicodemou) friendship is hanging by a thread in the wake of Leah’s discovery that Irene had persuaded Bronte (Stefanie Caccamo) to sue the diner.
The diner was already facing a lawsuit after insulation around leaking water pipes contaminated their water supply, leading several customers to suffer from benzine poisoning.
After hearing that customer Joseph (Paul Winchester) was intending to sue for $50,000, conwoman Bronte also claimed to have been poisoned. Irene fell for it hook, line and sinker, and persuaded her to also sue the diner, in the hope that it would raise much-needed funds for her ‘treatment’.
Leah was furious when she found out that Irene was putting their business at risk, but Irene assured her that the insurance would take care of it.
Except, it didn’t. As expected, the insurance company refused to cover the claims, leaving the diner in a perilous financial position.
Next week, while Irene remains optimistic about the insurance company changing its mind, Leah demands they face reality.
Dana points out that Bronte could always withdraw her claim, but Irene refuses to listen—she’s determined that Bronte is going to get that money.
Irene later decides they should get an independent health and safety inspector in to get a second opinion, and deduce whether the blame lies with themselves or the owner of the building.
Leah’s frustrated that Irene wants to throw more money away rather than just have a conversation with Bronte, and tensions reach boiling point as the pair have a huge row in front of the diner customers, forcing Theo (Matt Evan) to intervene.
Later in the week, the pair make up following the inspector’s visit, with Irene sorry for getting her priorities wrong—she’d hate for anything to get in the way of their friendship.
But it’s soon dealt a further test when the inspector’s report comes back—the diner is at fault. The business is responsible for plumbing maintenance, and they apparently overlooked a recommendation to get the plumbing assessed during their last annual safety report.
After Leah clarifies things with her solicitor, she confirms that if Joseph and Bronte go ahead with their claims, then they will be liable to pay out $100,000.
Leah tells Irene that they need to talk with Joseph and Bronte in a last-ditch attempt to get them to drop their claims.
If they don’t, then they’ll be bankrupt and the diner will be finished!
Elsewhere, Tane (Ethan Browne) has been all systems go on his next project since returning from the city, where he spent a couple of weeks on an intensive counselling program as part of his sentence for abducting baby Poppy.
Meeting with surf club manager John (Shane Withington) and secretary Roo (Georgie Parker) last week, Tane explained that he wanted to set up a program for disadvantaged youths, running boot camp classes with access to the gym equipment.
The pair thought it sounded like a great idea, though he would need to put forward a good proposal to get the club committee to agree.
Whilst Tane hopes that social worker Harper (Jessica Redmayne) will be ideally placed to assist, he doesn’t realise that there’s an added complication.
The night before his sentencing, believing that he would almost certainly be facing jail time, Tane and Harper slept together in the gym.
When Tane’s lawyer called early the next morning to summon him back to court, he and Harper didn’t have a chance to talk about what had happened before he was whisked away to the city.
Tane had previously tried to kiss Harper in the wake of his and Felicity’s (Jacqui Purvis) breakup, only for her to rebuke him, telling him that she wasn’t interested in being more than friends. But during Tane’s absence, Harper began to realise that she’d developed feelings for him.
Having confided in sister Dana (Ally Harris), Dana has been encouraging Harper to tell “the demigod” how she feels, though Harper was disappointed when he seemed to ignore her on his return.
When the two eventually spoke, Tane dismissed their liaison as a spur of the moment thing on the belief that he was heading for prison. Wishing to respect her wishes to not be any more than friends, he was happy to forget it had ever happened. Harper was thrown, but agreed.
Next week, Harper agrees to take a look over Tane’s proposal before he shows it to John.
When she asks about the sort of kids he envisions participating, he explains that he wants to target those deemed “too hard”, who often struggle to get on the right track. Harper warns him that these kids would be tough work, but he’s prepared for that.
When John later gives Tane’s proposal a cursory glance after Tane leaves it on his desk, some particular phrases scream out to him.
The idea of “Juvenile criminal offenders” having “unlimited access to the gym equipment and surf club” horrifies him, and he spends the rest of the afternoon avoiding Tane.
As Harper gives Tane some tips for his pitch, she is struggling with her feelings for him, her mind beginning to wander as she remembers their night of passion.
Tane later corners John who finally admits that he’s read the proposal, and it’s a hard no. It’s never going to happen, and he’s not going to take the proposal to the committee.
Tane is stunned, but as he tries to discuss the next steps with Harper, it all becomes too much for her.
“I can’t do this anymore… I’m sorry, but I’m done,” she states before walking away.
Tane follows, confused by her sudden withdrawal, prompting her to admit that she’s frustrated that they slept together and he’s acting like it meant nothing. Tane’s confused, Harper had previously been clear about her lack of feelings for him.
Tane explains that he’s not in the right place for a relationship at the moment, and Harper points out that he’s made that very clear.
The next day, the pair have another talk and Harper asks for some space to process her emotions. Despite this, she encourages Tane to persevere with his proposal, urging him not to give up.
That could be easier said than done, with Harper now out of the picture and his other champion Roo now cruising the world with nephew Ryder (Lukas Radovich).
Determined, Tane confronts John, vowing to bypass him and take the proposal directly to the committee if necessary. He’s going ahead and not taking no for an answer, with or without John’s support.
Here’s the full spoilers for next week’s Home and Away episodes in the UK:
Monday 5th August (Episode 8286)
Mackenzie struggles to forgive Mali. Irene and Leah clash.
Tuesday 6th August (Episode 8287)
Harper battles her feelings for Tane. Rose wants answers. Cash makes a big career decision.
Wednesday 7th August (Episode 8288)
Harper asks Tane for space. Irene fights for her friendship with Leah. Kirby asks Eden and Remi to step up.
Thursday 8th August (Episode 8289)
Can Mali find his brother in time? Dana’s suspicions resurface. Irene is in over her head with Bronte.
Friday 9th August (Episode 8290)
Mali calls in reinforcements. Rose questions her relationship. Has Dana made a dangerous enemy?