Latest news with #Teeside
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
‘Slap in the face' blast shoppers after being BANNED from UK retail giant for ‘returning too many items'
SHOPPERS have shared their fury after being banned from shopping at a UK retail giant for returning too many items of clothing. Thousands of fashion fans have received emails stating that their accounts have been closed with "immediate effect" for breaking the Fair Use Policy. 3 3 3 ASOS last year enraged customers by charging a £3.95 fee to those who return items frequently, and keep less than £40 worth of items. And now the fast-fashion giant has sparked fury again, with customers describing the strict policy as a "slap in the face". ASOS said: "We recently closed the accounts of a small group of customers whose shopping activity has consistently fallen outside our Fair Use policy. "This helps us maintain our commitment to offering free returns to all customers across all core markets." ASOS' Fair Use Policy states that customers may have their accounts shut down if they carry out "unusual or suspicious activity", such as "unusual patterns of returns activity", and returning items that look like they have been worn. Lucy Britnell, from Teeside, has been paying for a premium ASOS account for seven years, but has now been banned from using the fast-fashion website. The self-confessed "shopaholic" said that she spends around £100 a month at ASOS and spent a whopping £500 on a haul for her latest holiday. She revealed that when buying large hauls, she often buys multiple sizes, as she claims ASOS' sizing is "often unpredictable". However, last Thursday, Lucy received an email stating that her account would be closed within 30 days. "After reviewing your recent return activity, we've noticed that it no longer aligns with our current policy", the email read. I've found the perfect spring wedding guest dress - it's from ASOS & people say it's so nice I'd even upstage the bride Lucy was left shocked by the email telling the BBC: "It was a real slap in the face - I thought it was a joke at first. "Even if they did reinstate my account, I'd take my money elsewhere. "It's really left a bad taste in my mouth." Other customers have revealed that they have tried to appeal the ban, but were "cut off" by customer service. Can your account be closed for making too many returns? By Laura McGuire, Consumer Reporter WHEN shopping online it is important to be clued up on what your rights are - especially when it comes to making a return. H&M, Boohoo and Zara are among the countless fashion retailers which make customers pay for sending products back. And brands such as ASOS and Pretty Little Thing now ban customers who return items frequently. Retailers can impose these stricter rules as part of their own returns policies. Some stores may assess shoppers return behaviour on a case-by-case basis, while others may have a strict blanket policy. Amazon customers in the US have claimed the retail giant has closed accounts without warning more making too many returns. Louise Gowrie, from Glasgow said: "I tried again and asked how to complain regarding this and they told me the decision was final - and cut me off again with no reasoning." Frankie Allen from London, was also told by customer service that nothing could be done about the ban, and slammed "robotic comms" for "alienating" customers. However, she added that she does understand why ASOS has decided to crack down. "I've received ripped jeans and clothes with make-up on them before from ASOS, so I know there are some people who abuse the policy - like they wear the clothes once, keep the labels on, then return them for a refund," she said. Explaining why ASOS introduced the severe measures, retail expert Medi Parry-Williams said: "Managing high volumes of returns simply isn't a sustainable model. "In many cases, a return fee of £3.95 doesn't come close to covering these costs." And ASOS is not the only online store to crack down on customers who make frequent returns. H&M, Boohoo, Pretty Little Thing, and Zara are among stores which now charge customers.
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Brit teacher, 25, dies suddenly in China mins after telling mum he was excited to come home in heartbreaking last call
A YOUNG British teacher died just minutes after speaking to his mum on the phone about coming home. Bradley Hall, 25, passed away suddenly in Shanghai, China, where he had worked for two years as a teacher. 4 4 4 Just 90 minutes before his death, Bradley had been chatting away to his mum Lindsey back in Teeside. They were planning his upcoming trip home - but tragically it never happened. Lindsey was surprised to see Bradley's number phoning back shortly after they'd hung up. Devastatingly, it wasn't her son but a friend who broke the awful news that Bradley was dead. The Teeside University graduate could have suffered a heart-related issue, the authorities said. After signing off on a post-mortem in China, they were told it would cost them £3,000. Bradley's grieving family are now trying to arrange for his body to be flown home. Lindsey told TeessideLive: "I was talking to my son an hour and a half beforehand, chit chatting away. "Then he rang back. I said: 'Hiya son, alright?' but it was his friend to say he'd passed away." UK authorities have said a second post-mortem might be needed once Bradley's body has been returned, according to his stepfather, Marc Henderson-Thynne. Two killed and one injured in plane crash after pilot lost control while trying to dodge a turtle on the runway Marc, 56, said information is "scarce" at the moment. Bradley was described by his family as "fit as a fiddle". They said he was a healthy 25-year-old whose life revolved around the gym, his teaching work and dog walks. Marc said: "He was fit, he trained, he didn't smoke, didn't drink. He was never in any trouble, he didn't like violence, he loved football and had a season ticket before." Bradley's aunt set up a GoFundMe page to help his parents cover the repatriation costs, estimated at £18,000. The campaign reads: "Sadly, on May 10th, my 25-year-old nephew Bradley passed away suddenly while in China. I'm doing this just to make it a bit easier on his mam and dad. "He was working out there as a teacher, as a family, we are absolutely devastated and heartbroken. "We are working with the authorities here and in China to bring him home. "As you will imagine this is not going to be cheap, and when he is home we need a funeral which a parent doesn't expect to have to do any donation will be amazing no matter how much any funds that are left after everything we will be donating to the Finley cooper foundation in Bradley's memory." More than £5,500 has been raised so far.
The Independent
17-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Public-private deal to invest £1bn in offshore wind supply chains unveiled
A public-private deal to drive £1 billion investment into offshore wind supply chains has been announced by the Government. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the 'unprecedented' collaboration would help deliver clean energy jobs, energy security and lower bills, with investment in areas such as Teeside, Scotland, South Wales and East Anglia. In addition to previously-announced funding of £300 million from publicly-owned Great British Energy, the Crown Estate has pledged £400 million to support new infrastructure including ports, supply chain manufacturing and research and testing facilities. And £300 million from industry would match government funding, to deliver investments into supply chains such as advanced turbine technology and offshore wind turbine foundations, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: 'This is an unprecedented collaboration between public and private investors with Great British Energy crowding in millions of private sector investment from industry and the Crown Estate, to ensure that British companies and workers win the global race for clean energy. 'We are witnessing the coming of age of Britain's green industrial revolution as we build this new era of clean energy abundance, helping deliver new jobs, energy security and lower households' bills.' Industry body RenewableUK's deputy chief executive Jane Cooper said: 'A concerted focus from industry and Government on growing the offshore wind industry's supply chain in the UK could deliver an extra 10,000 jobs between now and 2035, boosting the UK's economy by £25 billion. 'Our sector is stepping up, working closely with the Energy Secretary and the Crown Estate to create new opportunities for manufacturing high-value goods like turbine towers, blades, foundations and cables, and providing high-quality jobs building, operating and maintaining offshore wind farms.' In addition to the £1 billion funding, which has not yet been allocated to specific projects, the Government has announced it will allocate up to £544 million from its 'clean industry bonus'. The bonus scheme provides funding to offshore wind developers for prioritising investment in some of the UK's most deprived communities and in cleaner supply chains, with companies pledging to invest in regions such as Scotland, the North East and East Anglia. Up to £200 million has been allocated to clean energy facilities such as electrical equipment and heavy steel products in the North East, unlocking up to £4 billion in private sector investment, while up to £185 million will go to Scotland, unlocking up to £3.5 billion for ports and wind farm components. The East of England will get up to £20 million from the bonus, and Northern Ireland has been allocated £25 million, with industry estimating the cash could support up to 14,000 jobs and drive up to £9 billion of private funding into the regions over the next four years. The funding will be delivered through the contracts for difference scheme, which pays clean energy developers an agreed price for the power they produce from their projects, and will be allocated to companies that are successful in the next round of auctions for the contracts. Those projects that win contracts in the auction can then finalise their investment into clean energy manufacturing factories, DESNZ said. The funding for the clean industry bonus would be paid for through bills, adding less than £2 a year over the next four years, officials said.
The Sun
15-05-2025
- The Sun
Brit teen Bella Culley was ‘visibly shaken' to learn she faced life in jail… as new details of drugs arrest emerge
THE British teenager arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs was reportedly visibly shaken when she learned she faced life in jail. Bella Culley's lawyer has described the teen's emotional state for the first time after meeting with her dad and aunt. 10 10 10 10 Bella, 18, faces life in jail after she was arrested at Tbilisi airport for allegedly entering the country with 34 bags of marijuana hidden in her luggage. The teen's lawyer, la Todua, told The Sun that Bella was shocked at the news and said that she "didn't know what she was doing". Ms Todua said: 'When I explained to her the consequences - that she could be sentenced to 15-20 years in prison or life - she was visibly shaken. 'My impression was that she ended up in Georgia without even knowing what she was doing. 'I got the impression she wasn't expecting those consequences." The lawyer revealed that Bella had yet to explain to her own legal team how or why she came to be in Georgia with the huge stash of drugs. Ms Todua said: 'She has not explained anything to me about the drugs - there will be a more detailed discussion about this later. 'This means that I have been unable to explain anything to her father.' The teen from Teeside stunned her family further when she announced that she was pregnant at her first court appearance on Wednesday. Ms Todua said: 'She was emotional - she announced in court that she was pregnant and one of the first things that will be done now is a medical check-up. "The pregnancy will be investigated." Bella has now submitted a formal request for her dad Niel and aunt Kerrie to be allowed to visit her in prison - which could take up to five working days to be processed. Ms Todua said: 'The visit could happen as soon as tomorrow but could be as late as next Wednesday, protocols have to be followed. 'Bella has written a letter to the authorities asking them to allow her father to visit, but they have not yet responded. 'They might respond tomorrow so he can go in, but they have up to five days to respond. "Bella has the right to demand a short term visit from her family of up to one hour. 'They would meet in a room, there would be no glass separating them.' Bella's dad and aunt were seen leaving the lawyer's looking upset and were being supported by UK embassy staff. But the lawyer assured that the pair had remained 'calm' throughout the ordeal. The lawyer also revealed that Bella had been assigned a young English-speaking foreign cellmate while on remand but declined to say what offence they had allegedly committed. Bella reportedly entered the Georgian capital on a flight from Thailand via Sharjah in the UAE, according to Ms Todua. The teen reportedly hid the weighty cannabis and hashish stash in separate packets crammed into her hold bag. 10 Bella now faces between ten years and life for suspected drug smuggling. But her distraught family are convinced she was led astray. Bella previously told loved ones she was meeting a man in the Philippines, sparking a police hunt for the mystery man. Bella's social media showed her clearly in the company of a male stranger on her travels - but he was never clearly pictured or named. Her granddad William Culley, 80, confirmed yesterday that while she appears to have spent most of March in Thailand she also spent time in the Philippines with a man called 'Ross or Russ'. Mr Culley said: "She went to the Philippines to see somebody, a lad there, who she used to go out with a couple of years ago, who was working out there. "She said, 'I'm going on my own, but I'm meeting Ross out there. Or Russ, I'm not sure what his name is. "He was working out there for his father's company or something - but now I wonder if what she told me was true." Video clips and snaps shared on social media show the teen holding onto a man as she rides pillion on a scooter and another shows her smoking a cannabis spliff. Another on TikTok shows her joking about 'Bonnie and Clyde' crimes and is captioned: 'Don't care if we on the run baby as long as I'm next to u.' But Bella's male companion's face never appears in the posts and he is never tagged. Family members said yesterday that she went on to meet a group of young men from the north west of England in Thailand before she was reported missing on Saturday. Her family raised the alarm, sparking a frantic search which ended in Bella's shocking arrest in Tbilisi. Bella's dad - who lives in Vietnam - even travelled to Thailand to help look for her. Her dad has now travelled to Tbilisi to try to see Bella, as he told how he is suffering "every parent's worst nightmare". Bella appeared in court in the Georgian capital after being detained by cops who are believed to have acted on a tip-off. Local sources said a border check revealed '34 hermetically sealed packages containing marijuana were found in the passenger's bag, as well as 20 packages of hashish'. The teen faces charges of illegally purchasing and storing narcotics, illegally purchasing and storing the narcotic drug marijuana, and illegally importing it into Georgia and is due back in court on July 1. Unexplained records have also emerged revealing Bella's apparent business links to the Far East - with her listed as the director of at least two companies with Chinese ties. Bella's cousin took to Facebook yesterday to make a statement. She wrote: "No parents ever want to find themselves in this situation, and they are going through the worst time of their lives right now and are at the start of an extremely difficult journey. "Speculation and rumours are making it harder to navigate through this nightmare." 10
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
🎥 OTD: David James plays up front for Manchester City 😱
Few things in football are as bizarre, or as entertaining, as a goalkeeper playing up front. That is exactly what happened when Manchester City faced Middlesbrough on the final day of the 2004/05 season. Exactly 20 years ago today, City faced the Teeside outfit with both sides in contention for the final UEFA Cup spot. The game was all square late in the second half following goals from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Kizito Musampa. City were in desperate need of a second goal, and with six minutes remaining, then-manager Stuart Pearce made one of the boldest substitutions the game has ever seen. He took off Claudio Reyna and brought on substitute goalkeeper Nicky Weaver, pushing David James, who had played the entire match in goal, up front. 20 years ago today, David James became a striker for Manchester City. 😂 — City Xtra (@City_Xtra) May 14, 2025 Chaos ensued in the closing stages, with Robbie Fowler missing a last-gasp penalty for City, and Middlesbrough ultimately securing European qualification, as a point proved enough for the visitors. 📸 Julian Finney - 2005 Getty Images
