7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Travel chaos due to early morning “incident” on busy Glasgow commuter train line
COMMUTERS have been thrown into travel chaos due to a rush-hour incident on a busy Scots train line.
Emergency crews are currently in attendance between Barrhead and Glasgow Central after a report was made at around 7am this morning.
ScotRail announced services are currently subject to delays, alterations and cancellations due to the incident.
The train provider said they have arranged for rail tickets to be accepted on local bus routes at no extra cost.
This includes the McGills – No. 3 Glasgow and Neilston / Barrhead via Silverburn and No. 66/166 Neilston – Paisley via Barrhead.
British Transport Police have been approached for comment.
More to follow…
For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Scottish Sun.
Thescottishsun.co.uk is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Ally McCoist accuses Rangers players of being WEAK as Ibrox icon rips into club’s recruitment under sacked Clement
ALLY McCOIST has launched a stinging blast at Rangers’ current squad and accused them of being WEAK.
And the Ibrox icon reckons the incoming new manager will have to give the entire place a right good shake once they’re in post.
GettyAlly McCoist has hit out at the Rangers players[/caption]
Philippe Clement was axed last nightPAWillie Vass09.01.2025 Dundee v Rangers: Oscar Cortes and Philippe Clement[/caption]
The Belgian’s reign had began promisingly, with a League Cup triumph and unexpected title challenge being mounted last season.
But that title push dramatically collapsed towards the end of the season and this campaign has been nothing short of a disaster for the Gers, domestically at least.
Clement’s dismissal comes with Rangers trailing Celtic by 13 points in the Premiership table, with both cup competitions also done for the Light Blues.
Clement, who was handed a new contract in August, oversaw a major rebuild of the Rangers squad last summer.
And Ibrox icon Ally McCoist reckons the player recruitment is a big reason for how things have gone wrong at the club.
In a stinging blast at the current crop of Gers players, McCoist accused them of being WEAK.
Appearing on talkSPORT, McCoist claimed he would LOVE to play against the current Rangers team because of that weakness – and says there’s no fight in the squad.
Assessing what awaits the next Rangers manager, McCoist said: “(Rangers are) miles behind them (Celtic). It’s a good job if you get backed. The recruitment has been shocking. It’s been shocking.
“You look across the city. The one thing you’ve got to do domestically as a Rangers manager is beat Celtic, it’s relatively simple. To be a success, win the league you’ve got to beat the other team.
“Rangers, even including the comfortable 3-0 win over Celtic, a few weeks back are a good way behind Celtic on and off the pitch.
“The gulf between the two clubs is massive.
“Anybody going in there is going to have to take the whole place by the scruff of the neck and give it a right good shake and they’re going to have to get backed by new owners.
“The recruitment, the money they’ve spent, you could name individuals, the money they’ve spent – Cortes, people like that – there’s millions of pounds that have been thrown away.
“The players coming in have not been of a good enough standard and what the fans are finding difficult to accept, and I’m with them 100 per-cent, is a lack of fight, a lack of desire.
“The Rangers football team on the pitch is weak, there you are, I don’t take any pleasure in saying that.
“It’s the kind of team you’d love to play against. There’s a weakness about it on the pitch and a weakness of the pitch as well.”
He later added: “The decline in the club on and off the pitch since they won the league and were beaten in a Europa League Final after beating Leipzig, Dortmund, you name in it – the decline hurts more than anything.
With Clement removed from his post, attention will now turn to the next permanent manager of Rangers.
A decision on the Belgian’s long term successor could have to wait however, with Ibrox supremos locked in talks with potential American investors over a takeover.
Asked who he would like to see take over at Ibrox, McCoist said: “Dear me. That’s a question.
“The obvious people you’d think about are Steven Gerrard, he’ll come into the equation obviously because of his success.
“It won’t happen now but I would’ve taken a gamble on Frank (Lampard) before he’d gone to Coventry, don’t see that happening.
“Muscat has done well, I think he might have won three leagues in three different countries, could be another option. Another option Derek McInnes would come into the equation, he’s a fine manager at Kilmarnock, knows the league, the players, the club.
“There’s one or two options but I don’t think there’s any glaringly obvious candidates either.”
McCoist, of course, was Rangers manager himself between 2011 and 2014.
He steered the club through its most turbulent spell in history after the Gers were sent to the bottom tier of Scottish football.
But would he fancy a return to the dugout?
TalkSPORT co-host Jeff Stelling asked him if he’d drop his MANY media commitments to return to Ibrox.
Laughing, McCoist said: “Listen, you know me, I’d drop everything for Rangers! You included!”
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Mike Clevinger reacts to White Sox intriguing plan for him in 2025 MLB season
Mike Clevinger is gearing up for an unexpected shift in his career, embracing a transition from starting pitcher to high-leverage reliever as he returns to the Chicago White Sox on a minor-league deal. The 34-year-old, who has started 142 of his 156 career games, now finds himself preparing for a role out of the bullpen, […]
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Arizona State basketball’s Bobby Hurley breaks silence on BJ Freeman’s dismissal
Arizona State basketball head coach Bobby Hurley broke his silence on BJ Freeman’s dismissal from the program. The star guard was the Sun Devils’ leading scorer and last played on February 18 against Houston. A transfer from UW-Milwaukee, this decision comes a few weeks after Freeman received a one-game suspension after being ejected in back-to-back […]
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Bomb goes off inside Russian consulate in France on third anniversary of Ukraine war as cops lockdown building
A BOMB reportedly went off inside the Russian consulate in France sparking a loud explosion.
At least 30 emergency workers were seen dealing with the fire while special forces police and soldiers secured the perimeter of the building in the southern French city of Marseille.
At least 30 emergency workers were seen dealing with the fire
The Russian Consulate in Marseille was in lockdown following an explosion inside.
At least 30 emergency workers were seen dealing with the fire while special forces police and soldiers secured the perimeter of the building in the southern French city.
A local source told La Marseillaise newspaper: “The Russian Consul General confirms” that “the explosion took place inside the consulate and that firefighters entered.”
The blast came on the third anniversary of Russia’s ground invasion of Ukraine, and on the day French President Emmanuel Macron travelled to Washington for an emergency meeting about the war with President Donald Trump.
By 9.30am, some 30 emergency workers were dealing with the fire inside the consulate.
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
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7 days agoBlogsComments Off on ‘If I didn’t get out, everyone would die’ – Hero Southport teacher relives bid to save girls after being stabbed 5 times
A HERO yoga teacher who relived her desperate bid to save girls from the Southport killer said “if I didn’t get out, everyone would die”.
On July 29 last year teenage killer Axel Rudakubana burst into a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at The Hart Space armed with a knife.
BBCLeanne Lucas relived the moment she saved children from the Southport killer[/caption]
POLICE HANDOUT/UNPIXSAxel Rudakubana was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 52 years[/caption]
Social media The dance teacher was stabbed five times[/caption]
He murdered Elsie, seven, as well as Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and Bebe King, six, and injured several others.
Rudakubana, 19, was jailed for life to serve a minimum of 52 years in prison last month.
Yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, who had organised the dance class, was knifed five times while she bravely protected children as the horror unfolded.
She was able to help several girls out and shield them from the attacker – while she bled from stab wounds to her spine, head, lung, ribs, and shoulder blade.
Speaking to the BBC’s Panorama, the heroic teacher said: “I just knew that if I didn’t get out, everyone was going to die.
“He was bigger than me. And I just thought: I need to get some help.
“So we all run towards the door. We were shouting ‘run!’ I called 999 on the landing and I asked for the police.”
Once Leanne had escaped, she begged members of the public to “go and get the children”.
She told how she felt her body failing her, while her mind was still “going 100 miles and hour”.
Another Southport killer survivor, a 14-year-old girl who has been called Sarah to protect her identity, has also broken her silence.
The teen recalled how she pushed children down stairs to help get them out.
“I thought that he wasn’t going to stop until he killed everyone. I thought that he wanted to kill us all,” she added.
Leanne’s quick-thinking colleague Heidi Liddle also escaped uninjured after locking some of the children inside a toilet.
And, businessman Jonathan Hayes who was working in the office next door, was attacked after he ran inside and bravely tried to stop the carnage.
Leanne said she has been affected both physically and mentally by the horror and has been left with scars that serve as “visual daily reminders” of what Rudubakana did to the victims.
She also revealed how she had to endure three stays in hospital and undergo multiple surgeries.
Leanne continued: “The trauma of being both a victim and a witness has been horrendous.
“There are times when I will spiral into trauma and the effect this has had on those close to me is unforgivable.
“The impact this has had on me can be summed up by one word: trauma.
“He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey.
“To discover that he had always set out to hurt the vulnerable is beyond comprehensible.”
FAMILY HANDOUT/UNPIXSElsie Dot Stancombe was tragically killed[/caption]
Alice da Silva AguiarFAMILY HANDOUT/UNPIXSFAMILY HANDOUT/UNPIXSBebe King was the youngest of the three victims[/caption]
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Bebe’s dad cast his mind back to the horror.
He said after hearing news of the attack, he thought Bebe might have still been at home safe.
The 43-year-old, who works for HM Revenue & Customs, said: “We had given people Bebe’s description. When that person came towards me, I could feel the blood drain from me and I went cold.
“I knew she was going to tell me something. And she did. ‘Are you Bebe’s dad?’ As soon as I said yes she said she had passed away.”
Bebe’s mum recalled how she was in Marks & Spencer when her husband called to tell her.
She ran outside and got into a taxi, which dropped her to the scene.
When she heard the devastating news, she fell to her knees screaming.
Also speaking to the Sunday Times, Elsie’s mum, Jenni Stancombe, recalled the unthinkable events.
She and her husband David dropped Elsie, a passionate Swiftie, off at the class at 10am.
The parent of another girl in the class had offered to have Elsie round to play afterwards, and agreed to drop her back round at 3pm.
Shortly before midday, Jenni got a call from the other mum who said: “Something awful has happened. Somebody’s stabbed the kids.”
Jenni bolted in her car to the studio, beeping her horn and running red lights to get through traffic.
She abandoned the car in the middle of the road once she saw the chaotic scene but police stopped them from entering.
The parents were later told Elsie had died inside the studio during the attack.
Dad David said: “No human being should ever have to witness what we witnessed on that day.”
Bebe and Elsie’s killer – who also attempted to murder eight other children at random – was jailed for life with a minimum of 52 years last month.
In their first TV interview, the parentstold of their heartbreak and said they would give anything to swap places with their daughter.
Asked about what they want to come out of the inquiry into the failings that led to Rudakubana slipping through the cracks despite being flagged up as a danger, Jenni said: “An element of accountability.”
She continued: “So someone has made a decision that has resulted in an element of failure, then there needs to be accountability for that.
“And I believe that the announcement of the inquiry will do that and it will hold people to account for some of the decisions that they’ve made.”
It comes after a damning Government report confirmed earlier this month that counter-extremism police three times closed investigations on twisted Rudakubana prior to the Southport murders.
A separate review of the entire scheme is being conducted to see how it can stop more atrocities.
As well as murdering Elsie, Bebe and Alice, Rudakubana also attempted to murder eight other children, as well as class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
Among other atrocities, the report said he was fascinated by the Ariana Grande concert bombing in 2016 which killed 22 people, including children.
He is also said to have asked during a 2019 art lesson why he was able to draw images of guns but not search them on the internet.
He then asked “can we have a picture of a severed head then”.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the killer was reported to Prevent three times but not referred for further monitoring.
Timeline of events related to the Southport stabbings
AXEL Rudakubana has pleaded guilty to the murders of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, and 10 counts of attempted murder.
Here is a timeline of events relating to the case:
2002: Rudakubana’s father Alphonse moves to the UK from Rwanda, according to an interview he gave to his local newspaper in Southport in 2015.
August 7, 2006: Rudakubana is born in Cardiff, Wales.
2013: The family – including Rudakubana’s father, mother and older brother – move from Wales to Banks in Lancashire, a few miles from Southport.
July 29, 2024: Shortly before midday, a knifeman enters a dance class at The Hart Space in Hart Street in Southport.
Bebe, Elsie and Alice are fatally wounded. Eight other children are injured, as are instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
Police say they have detained a male and seized a knife.
Within hours, claims spread online that the suspect is an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat in 2023.
Some claims include an alleged identity.
July 30, 2024: In the evening, a peaceful vigil is held outside Southport’s Atkinson arts venue, where flowers are laid in memory of those who died.
Shortly after the vigil, a separate protest begins outside the town’s mosque in St Luke’s Road.
People throw items towards the mosque, property is damaged and police vehicles are set on fire.
July 31, 2024: Demonstrators gather in Whitehall, London, for an “Enough Is Enough” protest.
Flares and cans are thrown at police and more than 100 people are arrested.
Disorder also breaks out in Hartlepool, County Durham, and Aldershot, Hampshire.
August 1, 2024: Police announce that Rudakubana has been charged with the murders of Bebe, Elsie Dot and Alice, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article.
He is not named by police because of his age.
He appears in court in Liverpool and Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Andrew Menary KC rules he can be named, as he is due to turn 18 in a week.
He initially smiled on entering the courtroom – then kept his face covered by his sweatshirt for the remainder of the proceedings before the case was adjourned.
Later that evening, demonstrators gather outside a hotel in Newton Heath, Manchester.
August 2, 2024: Three police officers are taken to hospital after disorder in Sunderland.
August 3, 2024: There are scenes of violence during planned protests across the UK, including in Liverpool, Hull, Nottingham and Belfast.
August 4, 2024: Disorder continues, including outside a Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, where masked demonstrators launch lengths of wood and sprayed fire extinguishers at police officers.
August 5, 2024: The Government holds an emergency Cobra meeting in the wake of the disorder and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vows to “ramp up criminal justice”.
That evening, a peaceful vigil is held in Southport, a week on from the killings. Police deal with disorder in Plymouth, Devon and Darlington, County Durham.
August 7, 2024: Prison sentences for those involved in the unrest begin to be handed out. Derek Drummond, 58, is the first person to be jailed for violent disorder at Liverpool Crown Court, where he is sentenced to three years.
More than 100 protests are planned for across the country, with counter-demonstrations taking place, but the majority of police forces report very little trouble.
October 29, 2024: Merseyside Police announces Rudakubana will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via videolink the next day charged with production of a biological toxin, Ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
October 30, 2024: Rudakubana appears at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via videolink from HMP Belmarsh to face the two new charges.
He holds his sweater over the bottom half of his face and does not respond when asked to confirm his name.
November 13, 2024: Rudakubana appears at Liverpool Crown Court via videolink. He covers his face with his grey sweatshirt and does not speak throughout the hearing.
About 20 family members of victims sit in the public gallery. The case is adjourned until December 12, when a preparatory hearing will take place.
January 20, 2025: Rudakubana appears at Liverpool Crown Court for the first day of his trial where he pleads guilty to all 16 charges, including the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
Jenni and David, parents of Elsie Stancombe, who lost her life in the Southport attack last July
GettyMoise Kean was stretchered off against Hellas Verona[/caption]
X / ocwsportKean collapsed after a collision with two Hellas Verona players[/caption]
Kean, 24, fell to the ground in the second half after he was involved in a three-way collision with Verona duo Pawel Dawidowicz and Diego Coppola.
Play was stopped as Kan received treatment as he had been hit in the head by Dawidowicz’s knee.
The injury resulted in a big gash above his left eye.
Kean tried to play on after being bandaged up but then collapsed moments after returning to the pitch.
There was plenty of concern for the Italian as he was rushed to hospital.
Fiorentina have since released an update on Kean with a statement on social media.
It read: “ACF Fiorentina announces that Moise Kean was discharged from the Verona hospital during the night and returned to Florence.
“The clinical and diagnostic tests carried out were all negative.”
Team-mate and former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea reacted to the news with a praying emoji and purple heart.
Fans have also reacted to the positive news on social media.
One posted: “Fantastic news. Get well soon Moise!”
A second wrote: “This is good news.”
A third commented: “At least one piece of good news.”
A fourth said: “Support Moise Kean.”
Another added: “That is such a relief to hear.”
Reports in Italy said Kean was conscious during his trip to the hospital.
He was replaced on the pitch by Nicolo Fagioli in the 67th minute.
The match ended 1-0 to Verona after an injury-time winner from Antoine Bernede.
Kean has played for Fiorentina since last summer after completing a transfer from Juventus, scoring 19 goals in 30 games in all competitions.
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Now seems a convenient time for Scottish Labour & Sir Keir Starmer to take a break from each other
SCOTTISH politics is the centre of the world for many people, including a lot of the 1,700 or so folk who turned up at Glasgow’s SEC venue this weekend.
Sir Keir Starmer was there yesterday, closing a Scottish Labour conference where bigwigs were frankly in a bit of a daze after the ups — and now the downs — of the past year.
AlamyScottish Labour saviour now a Keir and present danger[/caption]
AlamyStarmer was the future seven months ago, but he already looks like yesterday’s man says Musson[/caption]
AlamyThere’s still the chance of a bright tomorrow for Sarwar, but he has to grasp it, he adds[/caption]
Andrew BarrThe Scottish Sun’s Chris Musson thinks the PM has bigger fish to fry than dealing with the woes of the Scotland wing of his party.[/caption]
But as important as Scots leader Anas Sarwar’s plight may be — he has a Holyrood election to fightnext year — the PM has bigger fish to fry than dealing with the woes of the Scotland wing of his party.
Quite apart from the UK economic turmoil, recent events and Donald Trump’s wild attacks on Volodymyr Zelensky have threatened to upend world order and security.
A big section of Starmer’s speech focused on Ukraine, ahead of a big week for the PM. He flies to Europe and to Washington this week for talks on Russia, including with Trump.
Frankly, he could have done without a trip to a rainy Clydeside to read out some words written for him on quite a few subjects he has little intricate knowledge of.
That was evident in the press “huddle” after the speech — an off-camera quizzing by reporters — where Mr Sarwar stood dutifully by Starmer, ready to jump in if questions got heavy on Scots details.
That happened twice, on Grangemouth and polling.
People still want change, they no longer think that guy who appeared on stage yesterday is the man to deliver it
Chris Musson
On public opinion, Starmer insisted that he didn’t get up every day and “rummage” through polls. A nice line, but it’s only true because he has someone to do that for him.
And looking at public opinion — and what the PM has on his plate — now seems to be a mutually convenient point in time for Scottish Labour and Keir to take a break from each other.
According to YouGov, his popularity rating — the balance between those with a positive and negative view — has gone from -14 in August to -40 now.
A poll out yesterday asked people if the actions of Starmer or Sarwar had more influence on them when considering how they’d vote in the 2026 election. More than twice as many said Starmer.
Conference fringe discussions were peppered with questions to Labour panellists about how to counter this Starmer drag.
Because a year ago, he was an asset to his party in Scotland, and received a rapturous response at the Scottish Labour gathering.
Twelve months later, he was in the same venue, on the same stage, saying many of the same things. But the hall wasn’t even nearly full.
The applause may have been warm, but many Scottish Labour figures are only too aware that the asset has become a liability — a danger to their hopes — in the eyes of many who voted for them last July.
It’s hard to believe it’s only been seven months, given how much bad news the new UK Government has managed to squeeze in.
Starmer was the future just seven months ago, but he already looks like yesterday’s man
Chris Musson
Winter fuel payments, increasing employer’s National Insurance after pledging no tax hikes, refusing to honour promises to compensate Waspi pensioner women.
Inflation is up, GB Energy has been created and, despite the PM tying it directly to cutting energy prices, the company’s chair had said that’s not its job.
Starmer pointed to some of his popular policies yesterday, such as the increase in the national living wage, or boosting workers’ rights. But they’ve been drowned out amid the noise. And the big problem is that big promise: Change.
There was the small print during the election campaign, of course. It would take time. Things would get worse before they would get better. But who reads the small print?
Above all, Labour underestimated people’s impatience Having seen what they think is the same old story, they have drifted to Reform UK or back to the SNP.
Sarwar and Scottish Labour may have flattered themselves into thinking they made a significant difference at the General Election and weren’t just hanging on the coattails of the UK party.
But greater forces are at play, notably the story unfolding at Westminster.
There is, however, a captivating story to be told about Scotland, and about the SNP’s failures after nearly 18 years in government — 19 by the time of next year’s election.
Scottish Labour needs to turn the focus to that. Indeed, Starmer made a start yesterday, as did Sarwar in his speech on Friday.
The SNP want the 2026 election to be as a verdict on Starmer. Scottish Labour needs to turn the focus back to the SNP.
MIC LEFT ON
EVER wondered what politicians are saying to each other in those odd moments when they’re lapping up applause?
Well, wonder no more. Because after Scottish Secretary Ian Murray’s conference speech, someone left the mics on.
Murray had told the audience he was tired and at risk of nodding off, with his second child born last month.
Anas Sarwar joined Murray for the applause, and here’s what we picked up . . .
Sawar told him: “Well done.”
Murray said: “I didn’t fall asleep, I’m still awake.”
Gesturing to the speech printout being clasped by Murray, Sarwar said: “Put that down there, there we go.”
Murray then rubbed his belly and joked to a photographer: “Should I put my belly in?”
An alarmed Sarwar told him: “Are you going to wave at your ministers? There we go.”
People still want change, they no longer think that guy who appeared on stage yesterday is the man to deliver it.
The good news for Scottish Labour is that, as the last year has shown, voters can change their minds very quickly.
There’s still the chance of a bright tomorrow for Sarwar, but he has to grasp it.
Starmer was the future just seven months ago, but he already looks like yesterday’s man.
Over the next year at least, Starmer will be judged on his first year as much as anything else. That period is also crucial to Scottish Labour.
So he should go off and fry those bigger fish. Perhaps he’ll come back stronger.
For now, he and his Scottish party are better off apart.
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GettyHaving your thermostat in the wrong place could be driving up bills needlessly[/caption]
Should the price cap rise again this Spring, it will mean houses have been hit with three consecutive hikes since last October.
Luckily, there are ways you can drive down costs now, starting with putting your thermostat in the right place.
Thermostats work by detecting the warmth of a room, switching on when the temperature drops below a certain amount.
But have yours in the wrong room or part of your property and it will get an inaccurate reading and could turn on when you don’t need it to.
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Deciding where to place your thermostat is important because it can affect how well your heating works.
“Placing it in a room that is colder than the rest of the house, such as a hallway, is a bad idea as it will turn on and off at the wrong times.
“For example, if you open the front door and let in cold air, then the thermostat may tell your heating system to send out more heat as it thinks the whole house is below your desired temperature.”
It’s not just your hallway you’ll want to avoid having your thermostat in – avoid warm spots at all costs too so you can keep toasty.
Ben added: “Having a thermostat near to a radiator, window or in direct sunlight will also skew the readings.
“These spots are warmer, so the thermostat may switch off before the whole space has been heated to the target temperature.”
Where should you actually put it though? The room that you use the most, most likely your living room, Ben explained.
“This is where it’s easiest to control the temperature, and in an area of good airflow.”
It’s not just the location of the thermostat that’s key if you want to lower your energy bills either.
Having it at the right temperature could save you an extra couple of hundreds of pounds.
Ben explained: “The Energy Saving Trust recommends heating your home to between 18 to 21 degrees Celsius during winter.
“Turning down your thermostat by just one degree can reduce your energy bill by up to 10%.”
How else to save money on energy bills
Turning down the flow temperature of your boiler could save you around £325 a year.
You could try using reflective foil on your radiators too.
These sheets reflects heat back into the room and limit the amount that can escape outside.
What is happening with energy bills?
Around 26million households on Ofgem‘s price cap have seen their energy bills rise in recent months.
The price cap, which changes every three months, affects those on standard variable tariffs (SVTs) but not if you’re on a fixed deal.
The current cap means the average household on a dual-fuel tariff is paying £1,738 a year for their gas and electricity.
You may be paying more or less than this based on your usage as the cap just sets a limit on what energy suppliers can charge per unit of gas and electricity.
Cornwall Insight, which is usually accurate in its predictions, has forecast the price cap to go up to £1,823 a year from April.
Dr Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at Cornwall Insight, said it is predicting the cap to rise due to the cost of wholesale gas in Europe spiking.
Ofgem will officially announce the price cap for April to June by February 25.
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7 days agoBlogsComments Off on All the shops closing down in March including New Look, WHSmith and Greggs
IT has been a difficult year so far for retail and that trend is set to continue as more shops will shut their doors in March.
Shoppers have watched as many of their favourite chains have abandoned the high street in recent years.
AlamyMajor retailers, including Greggs and New Look, are leaving the high street[/caption]
With changes to employment costs set to come into force in April it seems unlikely that this year will be any different.
Several major retailers have warned that the increase to employer National Insurance rates and minimum wage will force them to put up prices and abandon plans for expansion.
The increases come at a time when the high street is already struggling.
Major shops have recorded months of reduced footfall and have seen less money land in their tills due to the cost of living crisis.
As costs have risen customers have been forced to cut back their retail spending.
Meanwhile, increases in rent and bills have forced several chains to restructure and close locations.
This year has already seen some high profile names including Monki and The Entertainer close stores.
Other retailers may shut shops as they have a similar store nearby that is performing better or they may want to move to a location where they will have a higher footfall.
Here are all the shops we know are closing stores in March 2025.
Trespass
Trespass will close its store at Highcross shopping centre, Leicester, for good on March 31.
It is not known why the shop is shutting.
The store has launched a closing-down sale with items on offer for up to 60% off.
The news comes just weeks after Trespass announced its branch at the Hillstree Shopping Centre, Middlesbrough, would shut.
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April 2025, will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few.
What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
Yellow and black signs which read “everything must go” have been posted on the store’s windows.
The Middlesborough store was opened less than two years ago.
The outdoor clothing specialist, which has 300 stores, announced it would axe six sites from its estate in July 2023.
The closure of branches in Norwich and Sutton Coldfield followed.
New Look
Fashion chain New Look will close several of its stores this month as it significantly reduces its store footprint.
The popular fashion chain will close its branch at the Team Valley Retail World in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, on March 9.
Its St Austell store in Cornwall will close on March 4.
The chain has already shut stores in the Carillon Court Shopping Centre in Loughborough, Essex, and Porth in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The news comes after reports emerged that the fashion retailer is accelerating plans to close nearly 100 stores, following challenges linked to the tax changes announced in the Autumn Budget.
Approximately a quarter of the retailer’s 364 stores are at risk when their leases expire.
This is equal to about 91 stores, which will have a significant impact on its 8,000 strong workforce.
New Look has also announced that it is winding up its business in the Republic of Ireland.
The fashion chain has 26 stores in the republic and employs 347 people, of whom 32 are full-time.
WHSmith
WHSmith is set to close a store in Accrington, Lancashire on March 15.
The popular store is set to shut due to its lease expiring.
WHSmith has already shut stores in Bolton, Bournemouth and Boscombe in recent weeks.
The company said it was disappointed to be pulling out of Bolton town centre.
The popular store shut due to redevelopment plans, according to bosses.
The stationery chain has also earmarked shops in Essex, West Midlands, Norfolk, Newport and Suffolk for closure next month.
WHSmith is actively seeking to offload its high street estate in order to focus on its fast-growing travel business of shops in airports and train stations.
It has over 1,100 stores across the UK, including over 520 high street shops.
It is working with advisers at Greenhill Investment Boutique.
It is hoped that a deal can be reached within three months, according to sources.
Investors have not wanted WHSmith to spend any more money on its high street arm, which has no real growth prospects.
Scope
Disabilitycharity Scope is considering shuttering 77 of its 138 shops.
Last month the charity’s bosses said the difficult decision is being considered in light of declining footfall on high streets and spiralling costs.
Chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said: “Despite our teams’ best efforts our shops are collectively now losing money when taking account of all of their costs. A number make strong profits but there are loss making shops too.
“We will be putting forward proposals to close some of our shops, in stages, over the next 18 months.”
Under the proposal the first 41 shops could close by March 31.
A further 31 shops would close between April 1 and March 31, 2026.
The final phase of five more shops would close when leases came up for renewal or when there is a break.
Select Fashion
Select Fashion has begun to close a dozen stores, with the majority of shops impacted in the North East of England.
The 12 stores are set to close in February and March in the following locations:
Merthyr Tydfil – March
Wellingborough – March 15
Southshields – TBC
Peterlee – TBC
Thornaby – TBC
Hartlepool – TBC
Scarborough – TBC
Hull Hessle – TBC
Hull St Stephens – TBC
Ashington – TBC
Scunthorpe – TBC
Chippenham – TBC
It has already shuttered branches in Wolverhampton and Kidderminster in January.
The British fashion brand – which has 105 stores – fell into administration in 2019.
At the time, the retailer blamed tough high street conditions and was later bought out of administration by Genus UK Limited.
But it entered into a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) last summer.
A CVA is a way for a company to restructure by negotiating its debts, such as cutting rent costs with landlords.
It is a common way for struggling businesses to try and stay afloat.
Chains including Caffe Nero and The Body Shop have previously entered into one.
Greggs
Bakery chain Greggs is set to pull down the shutters of one of its Cambridge stores for the last time on March 31.
The shop is set to shut as part of the Greggs estate strategy, which will see the chain open more stores this year.
It already has over 2,500 shops across the UK including 500 with franchise partners such as petrol stations.
Staff at the Cambridgeshire shop will be relocated to nearby branches where possible.
The nearest shop is located in Station Square.
The Cambridge store is not the first Greggs shop to shut this year.
A Greggs store in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, closed for good on January 18.
The branch reportedly closed due to a dispute over rent, according to the Bucks Free Press.
Meanwhile, a Greggs shop on Foleshill Road, Coventry, shut forever on January 4.
Dobbies
Dobbies garden centre has confirmed a second wave of closures across the UK.
The news comes after the gardening specialist closed 16 stores as part of a restructuring plan late last year.
Locations impacted in this round of closures include stores in Havant, Aylesbury and Northampton.
At least three more sites are now set to close over the coming months.
Its branch in Northampton will be taken over by British Garden Centres, a family-run business.
Action is expected to be completed by March.
Closure dates for the Northampton and Aylesbury stores have not yet been confirmed.
The news comes after a restructuring plan was given the go ahead by the courts in December last year.
The retailer shut a total of ten larger sites as part of the plans, with two stores confirmed to be taken over by other gardening chains.
At its peak Dobbies was the biggest garden centre operator in the UK and had up to 77 stores.
Craigdon Mountain Sports
Craigdon Mountain Sports will shutter its branch in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire at the end of March.
The outdoor shop sells footwear, snow gear, bags and accessories.
The reason for the closure is not yet known.
The independent company, which also has stores in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, has launched a huge closing down sale as it attempts to shift its remaining stock.
The business said “many” of the Inverurie store staff will be transferred to its Aberdeen site and its website remains operational.
