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Campaign group urges Brits to stop paying their energy bills in protest of soaring costs

‘It can only work if we show the powers that be that we would not stand for being treated as cash cows’

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Brits should boycott their energy bills this October in protest of the soaring costs, a campaign group has proposed this week.

As the cost of living crisis continues to take its toll, Don’t Pay UK is on a mission to get one million people to pledge to cancel their bills in a bid to force energy companies to reduce monthly costs.

The group says that if even a fraction of the million that they want on board agree to stop paying their energy bills, they will be able to bring companies to the negotiating table.

This comes after Ofgem announced the energy price cap will be updated every three months rather than every six months, as it warned that customers face a ‘very challenging winter ahead’.

Analysts at Cornwall Insight also predicted that the price cap is on track to rise to an astonishing £3,615 a year from January, adding further pressure on households. 

In response to this, Don’t Pay UK has devised a three-step plan:

Build support.

The group is currently setting up email lists and is on TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and Twitter to spread its message. Zoom calls are also being organised, as are as in-person meet-ups. They are also printing flyers and stickers in a bid to bring people together.

A statement on the group’s website reads: “We’ll need people, organisations and community groups to do all of this too, building this up street by street, estate by estate and city by city.

“The first step is to get thousands of people like you to say you support the strike.”

Gather a million pledges.

Don’t Pay UK has stressed that the only way they can get their message across is by turning out in serious numbers to show energy companies that they have some power.

A statement reads: “One million sounds like a lot, but millions more will already be thinking about whether they’ll be able to pay come winter and afford the other things they need to survive for them and their families.

“Even more of us will be angry about paying more than double what we used to pay for the same amount we use. Let alone food, petrol and mortgages.”

Cancel direct debits if price increases go ahead.

If the government and energy companies have not reduced bills by October 1st, the group say they will take action by cancelling their direct debits. They hope that by everybody doing this on the same day, they will be able to send a strong message to energy companies.

Their website reads: “It can only work if we believe in each other and show the powers that be that we would not stand for being treated as cash cows.”

To read more about the Don’t Pay UK movement, visit the official website here.

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Northern hiring train drivers with salaries of £54,000 per year

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Northern, which operate trains across Greater Manchester and the North of England, is looking to hire train drivers.

The company is hoping to entice people who haven’t considered a career in rail before, with no experience required.

If successful you’ll eventually earn £54,000 per year, following a 64-week training course – the starting salary during this training period is £23,000.

Northern


And if you fancy becoming a conductor instead, wages start at £22,000 before rising to £29,000 following a 16-week training course.

Throughout the year Northern wants to hire more than 300 train drivers and conductors,  which breaks down as 108 drivers and 198 conductors.

Recruits will be able to train in both Manchester and Leeds, and you must finish a paid apprenticeship in one of these two training academies.

Available roles will be advertised over the coming months, so keep your eyes peeled.

Northern


The company’s chief operating officer, Tricia Williams, said: “We have a range of rewarding roles for anyone who wants to become part of a dedicated team that runs more than 2,500 services a day to over 500 destinations.

“We are looking for customer-focused people with excellent communication skills who thrive in a dynamic environment and may not have considered a career in rail before.

“Successful applicants will demonstrate a high level of responsibility, a strong work ethic and a commitment to maintaining safety standards.

“We’ll be recruiting throughout the year and provide all the training you need. We want our workforce to reflect the communities we serve and we’re proud to include people from all walks of life in our team, from military veterans and ex-police officers, to former office workers and stay-at-home parents.”

Head to Northern’s careers page here for further info and job alerts.

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Drivers are now realising they’ve been using roundabouts wrong

Are you using roundabouts correctly?

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They may have passed their tests a while ago, but some drivers are only just realising they have been using roundabouts wrong.

When it comes to roundabouts, most drivers will probably feel very confident they know what they are doing and think they how to use them correctly.

So, you know to give way to the right, but which way should you be indicating and which lane should you select for the turn-off you want?

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We all remember being a nervous learner driver and the sheer panic that would overcome you when approaching a roundabout.

But after plenty of practice they soon become a doddle – until you’ve been driving while and have picked up some bad habits.

Roundabouts are some of the most common places where you hear angry drivers beeping their horns because someone has pulled out or driven into the wrong lane, and all sorts of silly reasons.

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Many motorists will already know that if you’re taking the first exit off the roundabout, you select the left-hand lane and use your indicator to signal left – unless some signs or markings indicate otherwise – as per the Highway Code.

And when you’re turning right, you should select the right-hand lane with your indicator signalling right – and keep to the right before you need to change lanes.

However, if you’re driving straight over the roundabout, this is where many drivers get a little confused and make common mistakes.

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According to the Highway Code, if your ‘intermediate exit’ is positioned at 12 ’o’ clock, you need to be in the left-hand lane – not the right-hand lane as many drivers seem to think.

It sates that you should ‘select the appropriate lane on approach to the roundabout, you should not normally need to signal on approach, you should stay in this lane until you need to alter course to exit the roundabout, and you should signal left after you have passed the exit before the one you want’.

It says that when there are more than three lanes at the entrance to a roundabout, you should use the most appropriate lane on approach and while you’re driving through it – which basically means you should use your common sense based on the rules of the roundabout.

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The Highway Code also says: “When reaching the roundabout you should give priority to traffic approaching from your right, unless directed otherwise by signs, road markings or traffic lights, check whether road markings allow you to enter the roundabout without giving way. 

“If so, proceed, but still look to the right before joining, watch out for all other road users already on the roundabout; be aware they may not be signalling correctly or at all and look forward before moving off to make sure traffic in front has moved off.”

And when it comes to looking out for cyclists, it adds: “You should give priority to cyclists on the roundabout. They will be travelling more slowly than motorised traffic. Give them plenty of room and do not attempt to overtake them within their lane. Allow them to move across your path as they travel around the roundabout.”

 

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Millions of Americans think chocolate milk comes from brown cows

‘Knowledge is power. Without it, we can’t make informed decisions’

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A surprising number of Americans believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows, a survey has revealed.

Around 7% of US adults think the sweet flavoured milk is brown due to the colour of cow it comes from, a survey commissioned by the Innovation Centre of US Dairyside has revealed.

The research was conducted on 1,000 people over the age of 18.

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That 7% equates to around 16.4 million Americans – which doesn’t seem such a small number when you put it like that.

That’s the equivalent of the population of Pennsylvania who are misinformed chocolate milk drinkers, and do not know that the basic ingredients of chocolate milk consist of milk, cocoa and sugar.

While 7% thought chocolate milk came from brown cows, around 48% of Americans said they didn’t know where chocolate milk came from – we’re not sure which is worse.

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Speaking to The Washington Post, Cecily Upton, co-founder of the nonprofit FoodCorps, which brings agricultural and nutrition education into elementary schools, said: “At the end of the day, it’s an exposure issue.

“Right now, we’re conditioned to think that if you need food, you go to the store. 

“Nothing in our educational framework teaches kids where food comes from before that point.”

Hubert Berberich (HubiB) / Wikimedia

Thankfully, the survey isn’t verified and hasn’t been released either, so perhaps the state of the agricultural knowledge of Americans isn’t as bad as it seems.

A previous study – conducted in the 1990s – also showed that one in five adults did not know that hamburgers are made of beef, and many lacked knowledge of basic farming facts.

But it seems many children and adults don’t seem too interested in trying to find things out for themselves either.

Like_the_Grand_Canyon / Flickr

Upton added: “We still get kids who are surprised that a French fry comes from a potato, or that a pickle is a cucumber.

“Knowledge is power. Without it, we can’t make informed decisions.”

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