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Wetherspoons shut down ‘urban myth’ around why its pints are so cheap
The chain has hit back at claims and debunked the myth
Pub chain Wetherspoons has finally shut down what it calls an ‘urban myth’ surrounding why its pints are so cheap.
The bargain pub chain is usually the first port of call for revellers looking to get a bit tipsy without breaking the bank before heading on to the club.
Party animals choose ‘Spoons so they can enjoy reasonably priced pints, mixers, pitchers and shots, of whatever their tipple of choice may be, to get them all fired up for the dance floor.
But over the years, pub-goers have speculated the reasons as to why the drinks are so cheap compared to many of its competitors.
It’s been claimed the reason for this is that Wetherspoons buys huge batches of ales and lagers that are nearing their sell-by date, so they can sell it on at a discounted rate.
According to rumour, ‘Spoons allegedly then sells this rapidly to its thirsty customers, who can then enjoy a few bevvies at a cheaper rate.
However, after all this time, Wetherspoons has finally had enough of this claim, calling it a mere ‘urban myth’ and ‘ludicrous fairytale’.
Wetherspoons is also threatening to sue any publication that repeats the claim and has explained in its magazine how they offer cheaper drinks.
It said the chain was able to sell cheap pints due to longer opening hours, while agreeing long-term supply contracts with partners and accepting ‘lower operating margins’.
According to the Daily Mail, the magazine article – which did not have an author byline – raged against a user of the website Quora for airing the ‘nonsense’ claim.
The article read: “The ludicrous fairytale that Wetherspoon sells beer which is close to its sell-by date has never appeared in print, but was seen on a website called Quora, posted by a ‘Brian Martin’.
“Had the Quora/Google allegation appeared in a newspaper (it never has), there would have been grounds for legal action for defamation.”
The article continued: “Wetherspoon has five to 10-year contracts with its main beer suppliers which, unsurprisingly, do not allow for ‘short-dated beer’.
“Indeed, also unsurprisingly, neither Greene King/Budweiser nor their competitors have ever offered Wetherspoon short-dated beer. Sorry to disappoint the conspiracy theorists.
“Wetherspoon also opens for longer hours than most pubs and sell food for prolonged periods – normally until 11pm.
“High sales of a wide range of products and long-term relationships with suppliers are some of the key factors.”
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M&S is doing a Christmas piña colada cocktail and it’s on shelves now
This sounds pretty delicious!
M&S shoppers are raving over a festive cocktail that is a Christmas twist on a delicious summer classic, and it’s already on shelves.
Shoppers are going mad for the new festive ‘must have’ with one bargain hunter spotting it already stocked in her local Marks’, which she posted to social media.
The savvy shopper shared a snap of the luxurious gold and red bottle with an Art Deco logo, which quickly went viral with the post racking up over 1,000 likes.
The photo also shows the M&S Christmas Colada is on sale for £5.50 a bottle.
A festive twist on the classic piña colada, it’s flavoured with ‘pineapple juice, coconut milk, and warming spices with two measures of white rum’, and is sure to go down a treat this winter season.
The Christmas bargain was shared to the Snack News & Reviews Facebook page where users rushed to social media to share their excitement for the product, calling it a ‘must have’ as they also praised the price.
A great gift to bring along to Christmas dinner parties, shoppers say it is perfect for something to sip on throughout the season’s festivities.
One person wrote: “Defo getting this wee number for Christmas Day!” Another said: “Wow, two measures. I’ll have three bottles. What is everyone else drinking?”
While a third put: “Ooohhh yes. I can feel a few pre-Xmas party drinks at mine coming on.” And a fourth typed: “M&S pulling it out the bag again with their Christmas drinks!!”
Other users wondered whether M&S’ popular drinks ‘Let it Sloe’ and ‘Slow Fizz’ are back in stock again for the upcoming Christmas season.
It comes after one shopper urged people to head to their nearest M&S immediately as she was able to bag around £100 worth of shopping for just £16.
Victoria Evangeline posted a video on her TikTok saying: “M&S prices are a joke. They are ridiculous at the moment, you’ve got to see this.”
She went on to say M&S are getting rid of all their summer stock to make way for its Christmas range and that’s why some of its prices are so low – so best get down there asap!
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Mysterious pink pigeon baffles locals after it’s spotted in Greater Manchester
The fuchsia feathered friend has been seen on the streets of Prestwich
A pink pigeon has been spotted in a town centre in Bury leaving residents speculating as to how it got its colour.
The fuchsia feathered creature has been seen around Prestwich, standing out from the rest of the grey pigeons, while eating food being given to it by locals.
Greater Manchester Police in Bury North tweeted that their officers on foot patrol around the centre also ‘came across a rare pink pigeon in the town centre’.
But people have been wondering how the bird came to be the hot pink hue, with many believing it may be via artificial means.
One resident asked in a post on Twitter: “Has anyone else seen this pink pigeon in Bury and does anyone know why it is pink?!”
In response, one commenter said: “I saw it on Monday. Apparently they release them at weddings.” Another put: “Yeah I saw it last week on the rock.”
A third person wrote: “Believe it was used in a gender reveal hence the hot pink. Seen several times.” And a fourth added: “When I worked in Miles Platting there were bright blue ones that had become dyed by the nearby paint factory.”
A spokesperson for the RSPCA told the Manchester Evening News: “We can’t be sure whether these birds have been deliberately covered in a pink substance, or whether they have fallen in something.
“If someone has intentionally painted the pigeon’s feathers this is very worrying as it could cause health problems, impair their ability to fly and make them more vulnerable to predators.
“Dye and paints can be toxic to birds and animals, and they would be likely to try to clean any such substance from their coat or feathers which could result in them swallowing it.”
Earlier this year, a pigeon was dyed pink for a gender reveal party in New York City before being discovered by animal rescuers.
Due to complications from the harmful and toxic chemicals in the dye, the bird – a white king pigeon – unfortunately died a week later.
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Northern Lights set to be visible across Greater Manchester and parts of UK
Look up at the sky tonight, you might just see them
Met Office forecasters suggest the Northern Lights could be visible across Greater Manchester and parts of the UK tonight, and potentially again on Saturday.
The visually stunning phenomenon, known as the aurora borealis, could be visible to the naked eye along the northern horizon.
And stargazers across the North of England and Northern Ireland are in with a chance of being able to witness this spectacular display.
A minor enhancement to the aurora oval – which determines the range of polar lights – means the swirling colourful display of green, pink and purple hues may also be visible further south.
The Northern Lights are usually only visible over countries such as Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland, but can sometimes be seen from the UK.
Reports of sightings of the dazzling display have been coming in since Wednesday, from areas including Greater Manchester, Northumberland, the Lake District and even as far south as Cornwall.
They are set to be visible across skies tonight until Saturday.
The Met Office reports fast solar winds are expected and the Northern Lights could appear ‘most notably’ on Friday evening.
“With the associated increased geomagnetic activity the auroral oval is likely to extend south to become visible to the naked eye along the northern horizon from Scotland (where skies are clear) and perhaps briefly Northern Ireland and Northern England,” it continued.
On Saturday, skygazers in Scotland and Northern England could have another chance to glimpse the auroras thanks to another burst of plasma on the sun.
The Met Office added: “An expected Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on September 16th will bring further enhancement, with the auroral oval likely to extend south across northern Scotland, and be visible to the naked eye across northern horizons of Northern Ireland and perhaps Northern England.
“Any auroral enhancements expected to ease from September 17th.”
The lights are best seen in darkness, away from any light pollution, so those in the countryside and away from city lights have the best chance of seeing them.
According to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, different gases determine what colours light up in the sky.
Nitrogen and oxygen are the primary gases in Earth’s atmosphere. Oxygen causes the green in the aurora, while purple, blue or pink hues are caused by nitrogen.
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