6:35 am, February 2, 2024
Water bills to rise by 6% from April
The average household water and sewerage bill in England and Wales will rise by 6% or about £27 to £473 a year from April 1, the industry has announced.
Wessex Water and Anglian Water are at the top end of the scale, with average bills set to increase to £548 and £529 respectively, while Northumbrian customers will see the lowest average bills of £422.
The rise comes amid ongoing regulatory concern over dividends paid out by water firms to shareholders amid the cost-of-living crisis and public fury about sewage overflows into waters.
Manhunt continues for suspect in alkaline substance attack
Police are continuing their search for the suspect in the alkaline substance attack that left a three-year-old girl and her mother with potentially life-changing injuries.
Abdul Ezedi, 35, from the Newcastle area, who was described by Metropolitan Police Superintendent Gabriel Cameron as having ‘significant injuries to the right side of his face’, was last seen at a supermarket in north London yesterday evening.
The sighting came a day after an attack on a 31-year-old woman, believed to be known to Ezedi, who was with her daughters aged three and eight. They remain in hospital in a stable condition.
Bank holds UK interest rates but signals cuts could be on the way
The Bank of England has signalled it could start thinking about cutting borrowing costs this year as it kept interest rates at 5.25% – but stressed that the job of reining in inflation isn’t done.
Policymakers at the Bank voted to keep interest rates on hold for the fourth time in a row but said they were keeping ‘under review’ how long they should be maintained at the current level.
One Bank policymaker, Swati Dhingra, voted to reduce rates to 5% – the first time since the pandemic that a member of the nine-person Monetary Policy Committee has voted for a rate cut.
Competition probe launched into Sun and Daily Mail publishers’ printing tie-up plans
Britain’s competition watchdog has launched a probe into plans by publishers of The Sun and Daily Mail to combine their printing operations.
The Competition and Markets Authority says it is considering whether the merger will ‘result in a substantial lessening of competition’.
Rupert Murdoch’s News UK and Lord Rothermere’s DMG Media say they believe the proposal will help improve the efficiency of their print operations and establish a sustainable business model for the future of national newspaper printing, amid a climate of declining print sales.
Killers of trans teenager to be named for first time at sentencing
The girl and boy who murdered trans teenager Brianna Ghey are to be sentenced for murder and publicly named for the first time today.
The defendants, both 16, identified only as girl X and boy Y during their four-week trial last December at Manchester Crown Court, face a mandatory life sentence.
They were aged 15 when they murdered Brianna, 16, in a ‘frenzied and ferocious’ attack with a hunting knife at Linear Park, Culcheth, last February.
Deutsche Bank to axe 3,500 jobs worldwide to cut costs
Deutsche Bank has revealed plans to axe 3,500 jobs globally by the end of next year to help cut €2.5bn (circa £2.1bn) of costs and improve its profits.
Deutsche Bank told investors the jobs cuts will be ‘mainly in non-client-facing areas’.
The company employs around 90,000 people worldwide, with roughly 7,000 workers in the UK. It hasn’t disclosed how many of its UK staff will be affected.
Tyne Bridge to get £35m refit as 96-year-old crossing shows its age
The Tyne Bridge will be restored to its former glory with a £35m repair, roads minister Guy Opperman has announced.
The 96-year-old landmark that links Newcastle and Gateshead has fallen into disrepair in recent years, with rust and weather damage visible.
The A167, which runs across the Grade II-listed structure designed by the same team that created the Sydney Harbour Bridge, will also be improved to reduce congestion.
Paul McCartney discusses Buddy Holly’s influence in Radio 2 documentary
Sir Paul McCartney has hailed the late Buddy Holly as an ‘all-inclusive one-man band’ as he spoke of the influence the singer had on The Beatles.
The US musician, who has been regarded as a pioneer of rock and roll, died aged 22 on February 3, 1959 in a plane crash in Iowa along with fellow passengers and musicians Ritchie Valens and JP ‘The Big Bopper’ Richardson and their pilot, Roger Peterson.
To mark the 65th anniversary of Holly’s death, broadcaster Bob Harris has presented a new BBC Radio 2 documentary that pays tribute to the singer’s legacy through a series of archive clips and quotes from music stars including Sir Paul, whose music publishing company owns the rights to Holly’s work, Joe Brown and Hank Marvin. Listen To Me is on BBC Radio 2 from 1am tomorrow and will be available on BBC Sounds.
Queen Elizabeth’s Range Rover up for sale
A Range Rover delivered to Queen Elizabeth and used by the royal household is now up for sale.
The long-wheelbase vehicle was commissioned by the royal household in March 2016 and used on several occasions to chauffeur the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. It was also used by Barack and Michelle Obama on a state visit to the UK.
The Range Rover comes with a set of grab handles used by the Queen and is for sale at Bramley Motor Cars, near Guildford, with a price tag of £224,850. It’s now covered 18,000 miles – 2,586 of them by the royals.
Yesterday’s headlines on Car Dealer you might have missed
- Exclusive: Honda boss on hitting electric car targets, used cars and what 2024 has in store for car dealers
- Exclusive: Trading Standards issues warning as used cars remain ‘most-complained-about trade sector’
- Pendragon completes £397m sale of dealerships and leasing business to Lithia
- Greenhous Group becomes latest car dealer to end Sunday trading as bosses aim to look after staff
- JCB Group takes over brace of Ashford Orbital dealerships in Kent
- Dicksons of Inverness gives one ‘L’ of a boost to young wannabe drivers
- New poll reveals major lack of satisfaction with electric car charging infrastructure
- Auto Trader reveals which Premier League stars have the most expensive cars
Market movements
The FTSE 100 closed 8.41 points down yesterday to end the day on 7,622.16. The Cac 40 was down 68.00 points at 7,588.75, the Dax was down 44.72 points at 16,859.04, but the Dow Jones was up 369.54 points at 38,519.84.
Weather outlook
Today will be windy and mild, says BBC Weather. It’ll be cloudy in the morning for most, with north-west Scotland seeing frequent rain and lighter rain for other western areas. It’ll brighten up in the north and east later on.
Saturday will be mild and cloudy with patchy rain in Wales and England. There’ll be frequent showers in north-west Scotland, but it’ll be drier with patchy cloud and bright spells in Northern Ireland and east Scotland.
