6:28 am, August 19, 2023
Councils and police urged to ‘turn a blind eye’ to early pub openings
Councils and police are being urged to “turn a blind eye” to pubs opening early for the women’s football World Cup final.
MPs have called on the authorities to ignore instances of publicans serving outside of their usual Sunday hours, after warnings that licensing rules mean leave some venues unable to serve pints or open early for excited fans on the day.
In Cornwall, the local council and police have already announced they will not take enforcement action for early opening during the big match.
Bentley unveils Bentayga EWB Mulliner
Bentley is introducing a new range-topping model in the form of a new Mulliner version of its Bentayga EWB.
The EWB, standing for Extended Wheelbase, was introduced last year as a more luxury-focused version of the Bentayga SUV.
Boasting a stretched wheelbase that adds another 18cm of rear seat space, it’s also available with ‘airline seats’ that offer all manner of features to keep rear passengers comfortable.
Vandalism ‘will not stop’ Ulez expansion
Transport for London (TfL) vowed that vandalism of ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) cameras “will not stop” the scheme’s expansion.
The transport body issued the statement after the Metropolitan Police said it had recorded 288 crimes relating to the cameras as of August 1, and released an image of a suspect.
TfL is installing 2,750 cameras in the new Ulez areas, which will be used to detect non-compliant vehicles, and anti-Ulez vigilantes have repeatedly targeted the cameras in recent months.
High car travel costs continue for Premier League fans
Football fans travelling to away matches by car face another season of high fuel bills, according to new analysis.
Pump prices have fallen from the near-record levels seen in August 2022 but are still around 15p per litre higher than at the start of the 2021/22 season, RAC Foundation figures shared with the PA news agency show.
Supporters of Manchester City living near the Etihad Stadium can reach just eight of the Premier League’s other 19 stadiums on £20 of petrol.
Newcastle United fans can drive to no other grounds within that budget, while Luton Town fans can reach the most at nine.
More than 700,000 missed out on energy support scheme
Hundreds of thousands of older people missed out on financial support for soaring fuel bills after a Government scheme ‘flopped’, a charity has claimed.
Age UK said some 735,240 households missed out on support under the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) Alternative Fund amounting to almost £3m.
That fund – for households without a direct relationship to a domestic energy supplier, such as those in park homes or living on boats – has already faced criticism from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The MPs said, in a June report, that many such households only became eligible for funding at the end of February, almost five months after consumers began receiving discounts on the main scheme.
Retailers among FTSE fallers in weak Friday
The FTSE 100 had another weak showing on Friday as weaker-than-expected retail data for July weighed on London’s biggest retailers.
The Office for National Statistics said retail sales volumes fell 1.2 per cent during the month as they were impacted by unusually wet summer weather.
As a result, major high street firms such as JD Sports, Frasers and M&S all closed lower.
London’s top flight moved 0.65 per cent, or 47.78 points, lower to finish at 7,262.43.
Elon Musk says X will delete blocking feature
Users of the social media platform X will not be able to block people from seeing their posts or commenting on them in future, Elon Musk has said.
Musk, owner of the platform which was formerly named Twitter, said users will still be able to block someone from sending them direct messages (DMs).
In a reply on X, Mr Musk said: ‘Block is going to be deleted as a ‘feature’, except for DMs.’
He later added: ‘It makes no sense.’
Weather outlook
Storm Betty will be continuing to hit our shores on Saturday morning, bringing 60 – 70mph winds to areas of South Wales and other exposed areas in the southwest.
Rain and showers will be heavy at times across Scotland and Northern Ireland, according to the Met Office, but it will be fine and dry across most of England and Wales.
Tonight the rain will continue to drizzle in northwest Scotland and the higher areas of Wales and England.
