UK News

A fairer deal? Regulator bans fixed term energy tariff increases

  • Fixed means fixed – consumers on fixed deals now get price certainty
  • Automatic roll-overs now banned for householders on fixed deals
  • Energy suppliers are now subject to Ofgem’s reforms and the next step will see simpler tariffs coming into force at the end of December

The energy industry watchdog Ofgem has announced that from today (Tuesday 22...

Nearly 30,000 tonnes of food is wasted, says Tesco

The Supermarket giant Tesco has unveiled new food waste figures for its operations and supply chain, alongside statistics that show 68 per cent of bagged salad is wasted and 35 per cent of this waste occurs in the home.

As a first step in reducing this waste, Tesco is today announcing it will end multi-buys on large bags of salad and is developing mix-and-match promotions for smaller...

Fire fighters tackle large blaze at Devon animal market

Fire crews were called to a serious blaze at Hatherleigh Cattle Market in Devon last night which has prompted concern over possible asbestos contamination. The roof of the building used for the regular Monday sheep auction has been severly damaged.

The Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service received several calls reporting cattle sheds on fire in the early hours of Monday morning (...

Fire Brigades Union calls off Saturday's strike

A second strike called by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) that was due to disrupt services in Plymouth has been called off.

The industrial action had been scheduled for Saturday (19 October) between 6.30pm and 11.30pm, but the Union says this has been postponed due to progress in talks with the Government over pensions.

Further negotiations are due to take place between the FBU...

Minister highlights "national shame" of the "forgotten million" chronically lonely

Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health, has made a speech highlighting what he will describe as the "national shame" of statistics that suggest that more than 800,000 people in the UK are "chronically lonely".

In a speech to the National Children's and Adults Services conference on Friday 18 October, Mr Hunt, whose wife is Chinese, contrasted the "reverence and respect for...

Crime falls in Devon and Cornwall

National Crime is down by the largest ever recorded amount according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today.

The period between June 2012 to June 2013 saw the number of recorded crimes against households and resident adults drop by 7% nationally, the largest single drop since the survey began in 1981.

The figures also show a drop of 6% of crime in...

Police appeal for information after six swans found beheaded

Devon and Cornwall Police wildlife crime officers are investigating after six mute swans were found dead in Restronguet Creek, Devoran in Cornwall.

PC Barry Nicholas was initially alerted to two dead mute swans by a member of the public who had seen the bodies on mudflats opposite Greenbank Road. Closer inspection revealed the birds to have been beheaded.

A search around the...

Eleanor Catton becomes youngest ever winner of the Man Booker Prize

The 28-year-old New Zealander, Eleanor Catton has been awarded the Man Booker prize for her novel The Luminaries . The announcement was made at a ceremony at the Guildhall in London on Tuesday evening (15 October).

Catton becomes the youngest ever winner of the Man Booker; she is 28 but completed the novel aged 27. She is only the second New Zealander to win the prize, the first being...

Which? launches campaign against high cost credit

A campaign from consumer advice group Which? is calling on the Government to bring in tighter regulations on the way money is lent by banks, credit card companies and pay day lenders.

The consumer group has claimed that overdrafts and other high end credit products are just as expensive as controversial pay day loans.

They found that on some current accounts borrowing £100 for...

Jobseekers to start signing new Claimant Commitment

New jobseekers will have to account more clearly for their efforts to find work to get their benefit

Starting today (14 October 2013), new jobseekers will have to account more clearly for their efforts to find work in order to receive their benefit.

New claimants to Jobseeker’s Allowance will now need to sign a 'Claimant Commitment' which sets out more fully what they need to...

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