Thirty-four areas in England have seen coronavirus infection rates rise in the past week, fuelling concerns that more places could be hit with Leicester-style localised lockdowns. Redcar, a seaside town in North Yorkshire, and leafy Wokingham in Berkshire suffered the biggest week-on-week spikes in Covid-19 cases up to June 28, Public Health England (PHE) figures … Read more
Thieves are increasingly stealing catalytic converters fitted to vehicles, sawing them off the underside of parked cars so they can sell the precious metals they’re made from. These devices are designed to reduce the pollution produced by car engines but have become easy targets for criminals who can make big money out of breaking them … Read more
Commuters packed onto Tube services in London this morning as bus passengers will have to pay to use the service again from tomorrow. Pictures this morning show people riding underground trains on the Central Line during peak times, and finding social distancing impossible. Meanwhile, Transport for London (TfL) has today announced that charging for bus … Read more
Households are using 17 per cent more electricity since Britain went into coronavirus pandemic lockdown, new data suggests. The biggest change in usage is at lunchtime when homes use 27 per cent more energy than usual at 1pm, according to Bulb Energy. The energy supplier analysed how electricity use has changed since lockdown began, using … Read more
Only a third of people in low income household with consumer debt have enough spare cash for an emergency, a new study has found. The Resolution Foundation says that consumer debt among poorer households has risen the fastest among any income group, with the proportion rising by nine percentage points. This group has become more exposed … Read more
His critics wrote him off as a youthful baby chino (chancellor in name only) when he took over the Treasury in January. But Rishi Sunak, 39, won praise from the man he replaced today for delivering the Budget after just weeks in the top job. Sajid Javid praised his successor after this afternoon’s fiscal showcase, … Read more