The NHS Test and Trace system is directing people to Covid-19 test centres up to 175 miles (281km) away from their homes, it has been revealed. People with coronavirus symptoms who try to book a test online have reported being told to drive three hours to reach their ‘nearest’ centre. And some of them have … Read more
A shopping centre was evacuated and drivers had to be rescued from their cars as parts of Essex were hit by severe flooding after a fortnight’s worth of rain fell in just one hour. Chelmsford city centre has been completely flooded forcing staff to evacuate the Meadows Shopping Centre sparking a fire alarm to go … Read more
Vans could be banned from city centres under government plans to create more road space for cyclists as part of Boris Johnson‘s £2billion anti-obesity drive. A government report aimed at ‘unleashing our nation of cyclists’ proposes reducing ‘unnecessary motorised freight’ like lorries and vans in UK cities. Freight would be sent to out-of-town depots before … Read more
Germany is carrying out coronavirus checks at airports and is considering making them compulsory to fend off a second wave of Covid-19. Munich, Dortmund and Duesseldorf are among the airports which are screening travellers when they return from overseas, and Angela Merkel‘s health minister is today discussing plans to enforce them nationwide. Britain has never … Read more
Casinos, sports centres and casinos have been given the green light to reopen in August. Boris Johnson today announced his blueprint for life in the UK to return to something close to normal by Christmas as he set out major relaxations of the lockdown. The news comes as a shot in the arm to the leisure industry … Read more
For millions, the ideal shopping centre is no longer what it was. Now more functional than aspirational, it has a Primark, a Poundland, a B&M, plenty of free parking, plus a massive supermarket. The pandemic has accelerated the preference among both the cash-strapped and the affluent for this unpretentious type of centre – the retail … Read more
Call centres are booming in lockdown as they help companies deal with an unprecedented number of calls. British call centres now employ 1.3million workers, equivalent to four per cent of the UK workforce, despite the rise of automated systems, increasing online interaction and cheaper overseas options. One company, CallCare – with four centres in the North – … Read more
Any actress called upon to recreate the magic of Princess Diana has a tough job. The list of those who have tried is long — from the royally connected Catherine Oxenberg and naval officer’s daughter Serena Scott Thomas to Spooks star Genevieve O’Reilly. Most recently it was the turn of Australian-born Naomi Watts who, in … Read more
Fertility clinics’ covid test rip-off: Couples face paying up to £400 for coronavirus tests at IVF centres Couples wanting a baby are being asked to pay up to £400 for COVID-19 tests Private clinics have been condemned for charging ‘add-on’ fertility treatments Women’s partners are also being asked to take COVID-19 tests – at £150 … Read more
Britain’s town centres are recovering from the coronavirus lockdown much faster than big cities, new research has revealed. Data released today found the average number of people out and about in the UK’s largest towns and cities was just 22 per cent of pre-lockdown levels in the last week of May. But footfall was much … Read more