Thatched cottages could disappear in 20 years’ time due to straw shortage, Historic England warns 

Traditional thatched cottages could disappear from the landscape in 20 years’ time because of a shortage of the right type of straw, Historic England warns Historic England said thatched houses could be thing of the past within 20 years High rents taking toll on thatchers, who can’t afford to pay for business premises Thatching straw … Read more

Catalytic converter thefts soar due to rocketing value of precious metals they contain 

Catalytic converter thefts soar due to rocketing value of precious metals they contain Some police forces saw thefts rise by more than 400 per cent due to gangs  Thefts across England, Wales and Northern Ireland risen by 104 per cent  Rare metals that are found in catalytic converters are more valuable than gold   By Rebecca … Read more

Elton John declares musicians are facing a ‘looming catastrophe’ due to Brexit travel restrictions

Sir Elton John has said musicians are facing a ‘looming catastrophe’ because of post-Brexit travel restrictions on touring in the European Union. New travel rules came into force at the beginning of the year that do not guarantee visa-free travel for musicians in the EU.  The Rocketman hitmaker, 74, revealed that last month he met … Read more

Harris’ trip to Guatemala, Mexico is delayed when Air Force 2 turns around due to ‘technical issues’

‘We all said a little prayer, but we’re good’: Kamala Harris reveals her midair panic after ‘technical issue’ forces Air Force Two to return to Joint Base Andrews on her first official foreign trip Kamala Harris’ flight to Guatemala was delayed on Sunday when her plane was forced to turn around and land minutes after … Read more

NHS calls for ban on small magnetic toys due to risk to children

NHS calls for ban on small magnetic toys after dozens of children who swallowed them needed urgent surgery Ingesting more than one magnet can cause major damage in hours if not removed  They fuse in intestines or bowels, squeezing tissue and cutting off blood supply At least 65 children have been admitted to hospital for … Read more

EasyJet suffers £645million half year loss due to pandemic travel restrictions

EasyJet suffers £645million half year loss due to pandemic travel restrictions and says it expects to fly just 15% of its capacity until June Pre-tax loss for six months to March 31 widened from losses of £353m last year It had losses of £701m against £193m a year ago, which was within expectations The carrier … Read more

Friends’ Bonnie Somerville arrested for DUI after ‘pulling over on freeway due to gas running out’

Friends star Bonnie Somerville arrested for DUI after ‘pulling over on freeway due to running out of gas’ Police were getting calls around 10pm on Sunday night for a car stopped in traffic on the 405 freeway near Inglewood They claim when officers had arrived to the scene, they found the 47-year-old actress behind-the-wheel of … Read more

Landlords have bought 250k fewer homes since 2016 due to tax changes

Punitive tax changes have meant that landlords have bought a quarter of a million fewer homes in the past five years. Since April 2016, landlords have bought around 700,000 homes across Britain. This is 250,000 – or 26 per cent – fewer than they would have if the tax regime had stayed the same, according … Read more

Am I due a tax bill on my savings after NS&I changes?

With the change to tax on interest mentioned in your article last week I think that I may exceed the £1,000 Personal Savings Allowance. I have a state pension and two small company pensions which total approximately £11,000, plus I have NS&I Guaranteed Growth Bonds and other savings on which interest may total over £1,000, … Read more

Thousands of Santander customers unable to use mobile and internet banking due to ‘technical issues’

Thousands of Santander customers are unable to use mobile and internet banking and its app due to ‘technical issues’ Santander says it does not have ‘any timescales at the moment’ to fix problem  Some people are unable to use their debit and credit cards in supermarkets  Internet, mobile and app banking is down and phone … Read more