logo
Home Bargain shoppers rush to buy viral light perfect for sprucing up summer garden

Home Bargain shoppers rush to buy viral light perfect for sprucing up summer garden

The Sun3 days ago
HOME Bargains is selling a budget viral garden light perfect for adding a dash of colour to your garden this summer.
The solar powered LED lights are retailing for a staggeringly low £6.99.
1
Designed in the shape of a hot air balloon the light turns on automatically at dusk.
With a large glass balloon shaped bulb featuring a variety of colours the light makes a bright addition to any garden.
It features a charming flame effect LED and a metal basket hanging below the balloon.
Home Bargains say the light is easy to install and includes a rechargeable battery pack.
The hot air balloon light is eligible for free delivery and can be purchased in store.
The light can be hung in the garden to easily add some colourful illumination to any outdoor space.
Eagle eyed shoppers spotted it on shelves and shared the find to social media.
One shopper boasted they managed to get theirs cheap in a sale, saying: "I paid 3.99 for mine in sale."
Another commented: "Street Somerset branch had these today , I debated getting one to go with the stick balloons and the hanging little ones but couldn't make my mind up."
A third wrote: "sooooo need these."
Homebase is selling premium outdoor lanterns which don't require any plugs for under £30 - they're perfect for the summer nights
Another replied: "The sign says XL there's several sizes."
The hot air balloon lights are sold by B&M in several different sizes with the XL version costing just £6.99.
B&M describe the product, saying: "Brighten up your garden with the Firefly Large Hot Air Balloon Solar Lights!
"With a charming flame LED effect and automatic dusk activation, this delightful addition is easy to install and brings a warm glow to your outdoor space."
The bargain retailer added: "It's the perfect size to make a striking addition to any outdoor area."
The £6.99 hot air balloon light measures in at H62 x W19.5cm.
B&M also offer a a mobile design of the lights - which features six of the hot air balloons hanging from copper wire.
The lights were seen on store shelves labelled as "star buys."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Indian prime minister makes UK state visit to sign landmark trade deal
Indian prime minister makes UK state visit to sign landmark trade deal

The Guardian

time9 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Indian prime minister makes UK state visit to sign landmark trade deal

India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, is visiting London to sign a landmark free trade agreement between his country and the UK, a pact viewed as a political and economic prize amid global trade tensions unleashed by the US president, Donald Trump. For Britain, eager to score a post-Brexit win, the deal is its most economically significant trade agreement since leaving the EU. For India, it marks its first major free trade pact outside Asia. For both, analysts say, the agreement signals a long-term economic partnership. 'The UK and India, in many ways we have complementarities. We have had a historical relationship. It's good to have a deeper trade relationship,' said Indian economist Sanjaya Baru. During Modi's two-day state visit starting on Wednesday, his fourth to the UK as prime minister, he will hold 'wide-ranging' talks with his counterpart, Keir Starmer, on trade, defence, technological cooperation and security, and will also pay a courtesy call on King Charles, according to an Indian government statement. India stood firm on key demands during negotiations, winning concessions on work visas, recognition of professional qualifications, and exemptions from national insurance contributions for Indian nationals working temporarily in the UK, all longstanding sticking points. Modi, accompanied by his commerce minister, Piyush Goyal, who led the negotiations, can claim India held its ground while the UK compromised, bolstering his message of India's rising global clout. However, the deal must still be ratified by both parliaments, likely delaying implementation until mid-2026. Under the agreement, 99% of Indian exports to the UK, spanning gems, textiles, engineering goods, leather, garments, and processed foods, will face zero tariffs. In return, the UK will see phased tariff cuts on 90% of its exports to India. Duties on scotch whisky will fall from 150% to 75% immediately and to 40% over 10 years. British cars, now facing tariffs of more than 100%, will see duties slide to 10% under a quota. Other gains include tariff relief on medical devices, pharmaceuticals, aircraft parts, and electronics. India's government hopes the agreement will inject new energy into its Make in India drive and revive foreign direct investment, which has slowed significantly. 'More than 5m export-related jobs in India can be linked to UK exports,' said Amrita Saha, a research fellow at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. 'Overall, I believe this agreement is a positive step for India's labour-intensive sectors,' she told the Hindu newspaper. Crucially, India kept agriculture, an industry that employs more than 40% of its workforce, off the table. This red line for New Delhi has also stalled its trade talks with the US. Still, only the broad contours of the agreement, which marks a significant departure from India's traditionally protectionist trade stance, are public. 'We will have to look at the fine print the morning after,' Baru cautioned. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Some provisions, such as phased duty cuts on scotch and cars, could face backlash from domestic producers. Indian whisky makers have already voiced worries about 'unfair competition' from imports. Also, in a significant first, British firms will gain access to India's vast government procurement market, a potential breakthrough for sectors such as clean energy, transport, and infrastructure. Notably absent from the deal are financial and legal services, as talks on a bilateral investment treaty, which would offer investor protections, remain unresolved. Another sensitive issue, the UK's proposed carbon tax known as the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), was also left out. The policy, which would levy taxes on imports from countries with looser emissions rules, is seen by India as unfairly targeting developing economies. For now, the two sides appear to have kicked that issue down the road. However, 'the carbon tax remains the elephant in the room. It could wipe out the benefits of the free trade agreement for Indian exporters,' warned Ajay Srivastava, head of the Global Trade Research Initiative in New Delhi.

Auto Trader has been selling cars too quickly for its own good
Auto Trader has been selling cars too quickly for its own good

Telegraph

time9 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Auto Trader has been selling cars too quickly for its own good

The UK economy's outlook is significantly more positive than many investors realise. For example, inflation is set to gradually fall to the Bank of England's 2pc target over the next 18 months. This should allow further monetary policy easing to take place that, alongside the impact of recent interest rate cuts, boosts economic growth. Clearly, the existence of time lags following interest rate cuts, fiscal policy uncertainty and ongoing geopolitical risks could weigh on the UK economy's near-term performance, but in an era of lower inflation and an increasingly loose monetary policy, the direction of travel for the profits and share prices of UK-focused firms is highly likely to be materially upwards over the coming years. As a result, Questor continues to be bullish about the prospects for Auto Trader Group. The online automotive marketplace is well placed to benefit from an increasingly upbeat consumer outlook amid further positive real-terms wage growth, particularly as it enjoys an extremely dominant market position. In fact, it is 10 times larger than its nearest competitor, with its website home to over 75pc of every minute spent on automotive marketplaces in the UK. Furthermore, its latest annual results showed that return on equity was around 50pc. This is exceptionally high and, even more impressively, was achieved in tandem with extremely low debt levels. In fact, the firm's net debt position from 2024 reached a net cash position amounting to £15m in 2025. This means the business is capable of continuing to invest in its operations even if the aforementioned geopolitical risks come to the fore in the short run. A strong competitive position meant the company was able to further raise prices during its latest financial year. Indeed, its significant pricing power will allow it to benefit from any improvement in the operating conditions and profitability of automotive retailers as interest rates and inflation both fall. With a constant stream of new products being launched, including those that harness artificial intelligence, it seems likely that the firm will at least maintain its substantial competitive advantage in future. Of course, investor sentiment towards Auto Trader has been highly erratic of late. The firm's latest annual results prompted a sudden 11pc share price slump on the day of their release in May. Although the company posted a 12pc rise in earnings, revenue growth dropped by nine percentage points to 5pc. This was partly caused by vehicles listed on its platform selling at a faster rate than in the prior year, thereby reducing demand for the firm's advertising opportunities, which could persist for at least part of the current year. While the stock's price has only partially recovered from its slump, it has still risen by 78pc since Questor tipped the company as a 'buy' during September 2018. In doing so, it has outperformed the FTSE 100 by 61 percentage points. Despite this, the company's price-to-earnings ratio of 26 is unchanged from its level at the time of our original tip. While it is undoubtedly a generous rating compared with many other large-cap shares, even while the FTSE 100 trades close to a record high, this column believes it still represents fair value for money. The company, for example, is due to deliver annualised profit growth of 11pc over the next two years. Furthermore, its solid financial position and clear competitive advantage mean it is a high-quality business that deserves a premium rating compared with the wider index. Of course, investors should not conflate an upbeat UK economic outlook with a period of plain sailing for share prices. Even during its most bullish periods of yesteryear, the stock market has still experienced bouts of extreme volatility. Similarly, the economy's improving performance is unlikely to be smooth progress, with inflation set to prove sticky at times and interest rate cuts likely to take many months to fully impact GDP growth, wage growth and, ultimately, the operating environment for UK-focused firms. However, in Questor's view, investors who back high-quality UK-focused stocks such as Auto Trader, take a long-term view and accept elevated volatility in the short run are likely to ultimately be handsomely rewarded.

MPs call for local authorities to be handed control of council tax
MPs call for local authorities to be handed control of council tax

The Independent

time19 minutes ago

  • The Independent

MPs call for local authorities to be handed control of council tax

Councils should be given control over council tax as the current broken link between the local charge and the quality of services risks undermining local democracy, MPs have warned. An inquiry into the financial sustainability of local government concluded that councils should be given interim powers ahead of reform of 'the most unfair and regressive tax in use in England today', which it said should be more of a priority for the Government. This would include giving individual authorities the power to revalue properties in their area, define property bands, set the rates for those bands, and apply discounts, the Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee said. The report said a broader devolution of fiscal powers, such as applying tourist tax, should also form part of fixing local government finances, which have been under growing strain since the onset of austerity in the 2010s led to reduced funding. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner recently said she wanted 'more push' towards fiscal devolution as part of the Government's pledge to transfer central decision making to local areas. The committee also recommended that central government ringfencing of funding be replaced with 'a rigorous outcomes-based system of accountability', so that local authorities are held accountable for achieving against a set of agreed outcomes within their overall budgets, not for meeting spending targets. Council tax bill rises hit 5% in April for the third year in a row, as almost all councils increased bills up to, or close to, the maximum permitted. The revaluation of properties has long been called for, with council tax bands in England still based on property values in 1991. The Institute for Fiscal Studies found that the most expensive properties (Band H) attract three times as much tax as the least valuable (Band A) despite being worth more than eight times more now, as prices have risen most in affluent areas. 'Council tax is therefore both increasingly out of date and arbitrary, and highly regressive with respect to property values,' it added. A recent analysis commissioned by the County Councils Network found allowing councils to administer and retain taxes generated locally would boost funding for services by more than £4 billion in many areas and 'supercharge' economic growth. Florence Eshalomi, Labour chair of the committee said: 'When residents are paying more and more in taxes but seeing less and less in regular, everyday services, such as libraries and fixing potholes, then trust in local democracy is at risk of being undermined. 'Government in England is overcentralised. The current financial pressures on local government are also driven largely by mandatory, high-cost, demand-led services, such as social care and special educational needs or disabilities, where councils have little control over these needs. 'Councils are trapped in a straitjacket by central government, with local authorities lacking the flexibility or control to devise creative, long-term, preventative solutions which could offer better value for money. 'If, as a country, we are going to deliver growth and improve local services, Westminster needs to ease its grip and let councils have more power to control their own affairs and be accountable to their own electorates.' The report also called called for the Government to reconsider its decision to freeze local housing allowance rates and extend its support for local authorities to acquire new housing stock through the local authority housing fund. Responding to the findings, the Local Government Association (LGA) said the findings provide further evidence of the fragile state of local government finances. Pete Marland, chair of the LGA's economy and resources board, said: 'Greater financial certainty and a simpler funding system are important. However, all councils remain under pressure and face having to increase council tax bills to try and protect services at the same time as making further cutbacks. 'A sustainable, long-term financial model for local government must lead to all councils having adequate resources to meet growing cost and demand pressures.' London Councils, which represents the capital's 32 boroughs, said the report shows 'change is long overdue', but raised concerns over the Government's plans for changing the way funding is distributed. Claire Holland, chair of London Councils, said: 'The Government's plans to reform council funding are pivotal for ensuring local areas receive funding that genuinely matches their levels of need and enables them to cope with fast-rising costs and pressures. 'It's right that the Government is targeting deprivation in the new formula, but we are concerned that the measures used in the current proposals will not sufficiently account for London's extreme housing poverty. This could mean London is left without the funding we need to deliver vital local services and return to financial stability.' A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'The Government is taking decisive action to fix the broken council funding system, so local leaders can deliver the vital public services their communities rely on. 'We have announced over £5 billion of new grant funding for local services on top of the £69 billion already made available this year to boost council finances, and we will go further to reform the funding system to make it fit for the future. 'This will ensure councils get the support they need and protect residents from further costs by keeping a 5% limit on the amount council tax can be raised without a referendum.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store