Fish and chips, cream tea and hot doughnuts voted the most popular treats for Brits on holiday
A COASTAL town was treated to free chips with a twist - the chippy was powered by an electric car.
In the aptly named Kent town of Deal, National Fish and Chip Day was celebrated with 300 portions of chips given away, as well as a limited run of battered fish.
1
But it wasn't your ordinary chip shop, with the chippy being powered by two electric cars and fronted by TikTok's 'Chip Shop Diva', Destiny Harold.
The Dacia Spring, which its makers say is the cheapest electric vehicle currently on the market, was the power behind the frying, in partnership with local chippy, The Blue Mermaid Fish Bar.
It comes after a poll of 2,000 adults found fish and chips is the most popular treat on a British holiday, as well as cream tea and hot doughnuts.
Others to feature in the top 20 list include Mr Whippy ice cream, Cornish pasties and mussels.
Quintessentially British foods, such as fish finger sandwiches, strawberries and cream and a pie and mash also featured in the ranking.
A spokesperson for car brand Dacia said: 'It was fun treating passers-by today and showing the power of our electric car, Spring, using its vehicle to load technology, which allows you to power external devices off the car's battery.
'It's no surprise we have a national day dedicated to the iconic meal that is fish and chips and the study shows just how much we love it and associate it with holidays by the seaside.
'Playing on the phrase 'cheap as chips' in line with our affordable car and being in the appropriately named Deal, was a great way to celebrate National Fish and Chip Day.'
The research also found 41% of adults describe such foods as nostalgic, while 45% feel satisfied after eating them.
When ordering a classic fish and chips, cod (48%) and haddock (19%) were the most popular choices, but 69% simply order a portion of chips.
It also emerged 44% believe fish and chips is the 'food of the people' and 39% said class doesn't impact how people eat it.
While 46% feel there is something nostalgic about eating the British staple with a wooden fork, which 33% typically do, although 38% opt to eat it by hand.
Food psychologist, James Cornish, said: 'There are few things that unite the British public quite like fish and chips.
'Golden, salty, comforting, and steeped in history, this timeless dish is more than a meal - it's a national treasure.
'Loved across generations, social classes, and regions, it's one of those rare things that truly brings us together.
'There's a certain kind of magic in fish and chips - a simple meal that somehow carries the weight of memory, comfort, and delight.
'Maybe it's because we don't expect too much from humble food, but our delight is excelled through the delivering of more than we expected.'
1. Fish and chips
2. Mr. Whippy ice cream
3. Cream tea
4. Ice lolly
5. Hot doughnuts
6. Cornish pasty
7. Strawberries and cream
8. Chip butty
9. Fudge
10. Battered sausage
11. Candy floss
12. Pie and mash
13. Stick of rock
14. Crab sandwich
15. Fish finger sandwich
16. Mussels
17. Cockles
18. Lobster roll
19. Pickled egg
20. Crab sticks
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Daily Mail
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The VERY varied fortunes of F1's most glam WAGs ever: As Silverstone's British Grand Prix turns 75, how one wife 'died of heartbreak' and another went on to steal Elizabeth Taylor's man
From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, handsome F1 drivers have long impressed fans with not only their speed on the racetrack but also their dashing good looks. But it's not only the heartthrob sportsmen who have often left audiences hot under the collar - their equally stunning girlfriends and wives regularly turn heads as they cheer their men on from the sidelines. The glossy pitlane posse of WAGs who are championing their partners this year includes Kelly Piquet, a 35-year-old model from Brazil who's dated Max since January 2021. Elsewhere, Scottish model Rebecca Donaldson and fashionista Alexandra Saint Mleux are proving to be staunch supporters for their drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles, respectively. But today's social media sensations follow on from the glamorous figures of the 1950s, '60s and '70s, with F1's appeal having always extended beyond racing. For instance, Lady Helen Stewart was one half of a glamorous 1960s F1 couple with the British racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart, while Suzy Hunt's marriage to James Hunt in the '70s was the society wedding of the year. This year, Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, celebrates 75 years of the F1 championship - and the upcoming milestone weekend of racing will no doubt see an array of radiant WAGs once again put on a spectacular display. So, ahead of the three-day event, starting on July 5 with the practise round and finishing with the thrilling head-to-head race on July 7, FEMAIL takes a look at some of the most glamorous wives and girlfriends to ever grace the circuit - and their varied fortunes. 1950s Louise King Married to Peter Collins American actress Louise King and her British driver husband Peter Collins made up a glamorous 1950s racing couple. They met in a Miami bar in 1957 and just two days later, the racer proposed. A week after first meeting they were married, reported The Guardian. Aged 24, Louise was on tour with the Broadway production of The Seven Year Itch, while Peter, then 25, from Kidderminster, was beginning his second season as a member of Ferrari's grand prix team. A year later, the impressive driver won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, after finishing third in the Monaco Grand Prix and fifth in France. But in Germany just weeks later, as his supportive wife sat in the Ferrari pit with a stopwatch and a lap chart, Peter suffered a fatal crash. He had reportedly been set to retire at the end of that season ahead of starting a family. 'I had only a year and a half with Peter, but it was the most joyous time,' Louise later said in the 2017 documentary Ferrari: the Race to Immortality, according to the publication. She continued: 'He was a great driver: when he won the British Grand Prix in July 1958, they even said he might become the best. He was 26. He died three weeks later. 'We'd just bought our first house, near his parents in Kidderminster. We were just starting our life together, and there it was: over.' Louise, who died 18 August 2021 at the age of 88, would later marry Canadian film producer and screenwriter Gordon Burwash. He passed away in 1980. Meanwhile, Louise went on to act again before spending her final years in Florida, volunteering at a local history museum. She would always describe Peter as the love of her life. 1960s Helen Stewart Married to Sir Jackie Stewart Back in the early days, Sir Jackie Stewart, now 85, and his wife Lady Helen, born on 21 January 1941 in Helensburgh, Scotland, were the poster boy and girl of Formula 1 racing. He won 27 races out of 99 starts and was world champion three times before being knighted in 2001, while his glamorous and stylish counterpart was the 'original pit lane girl', attending 'every race'. Lady Helen - who wed her childhood sweetheart in August 1962 - was also an actress, known for Seven Days Too Long (1968), The Wicked Die Slow (1968) and Weekend of a Champion (1972). 'My wife was the original pit lane girl, my professional stopwatch - timing my laps to the millisecond,' Sir Jackie said to the Daily Mail previously. Lady Helen – the love of his life – was around before he made the big time; they fell in love when he was 18 and she 16. Speaking to the publication in 2014, the retired driver - who shares two grown-up children, Mark and Paul, with his beloved wife, added: 'We've had a fantastic relationship. 'It was a glamorous life, there were lots of girls around, but by the time I got into Formula 1 Helen was pregnant with Paul. 'My first victory was just before he was born, so the two are intertwined. We've been married 52 years and we still look after each other very well.' The couple were known to divide their time between their estate in Buckinghamshire, close to Chequers, the Prime Minister's country residence, and a house in Switzerland. For most of the marriage, theirs has been a gilded lifestyle with lots of travel, luxury and hobnobbing with celebrities and royals - Princess Anne has been a close friend for 40 years and Lady Helen is Zara Tindall's godmother. After retiring in 1973, Sir Jackie cut a series of commercial deals (being the first driver to spray a bottle of champagne on the podium brought him a contract with Moet Hennessy) and today he has an estimated fortune of $50million. But life irreversibly changed for the former Formula One golden couple after Lady Helen was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia - a less common form of the illness that can develop at a younger age - more than a decade ago. Lady Helen can no longer walk and suffers from significant memory loss - a common feature in sufferers of the condition. Sir Jackie launched the Race Against Dementia charity with filmmaker son Mark following her diagnosis. 1970s Suzy Hunt Married James Hunt James Hunt, who competed in Formula One from 1973 to 1979, and was played by A-lister Chris Hemsworth in the 2013 film Rush, which explored the British racing driver's intense rivalry with racer Niki Lauda, was married to supermodel Suzy Miller. Together, they were one of the decade's It couples, with their nuptials in October 1974 in London, undoubtedly the society wedding of the year. Suzy was a striking woman, who, while described as 'not classically beautiful', captivated everyone she met with her willowy figure and charming presence. She met her future husband in Spain in 1974, aged 24, a year younger than Hunt. The pair fell into easy conversation, and after a whirlwind romance lasting only a few weeks, Hunt proposed. Immediately after the proposal, he reportedly expressed regret to his friends, saying he was not sure what he was doing - and was said to have spent the run up to their wedding drunk. However, the driver was aware of the great deal of value she added to him so resolved to try to make the relationship work, according to Shunt: The Story of James Hunt author Tom Rubython. But fed up of her husband's antics, Suzy later ran off with Richard Burton in 1976, after the Welsh actor split from Elizabeth Taylor. Burton reportedly paid Hunt $1m during the couple's divorce settlement, with the driver assuring the actor: 'You've done me a wonderful turn by taking on the most alarming expense account in the country.' Hunt died of a heart attack in 1993 at his home in Wimbledon. He was 45. He reportedly left a large sum of money for his friends to get drunk at his wake. Barbro Peterson Married to Ronnie Peterson Barbro met Lotus Formula driver Ronnie Peterson in true swinging 60s style while dancing in a club in Örebro, Sweden, around the spring of 1968. She worked as a secretary before moving to New York City in 1969 to become an au pair, however, she returned for the 1970 racing season. Barbro was more of a hands-on WAG and took up the role of Ronnie's timekeeper and was often found perching on the pit counter, watching her husband's performance. The couple married in 1975 and decided to make England their home, although they had a flat in Monaco and a holiday home in their homeland, Sweden. Barbro gave first to their daughter Nina in the November of that year and the pair lived together as a happy family for a couple of years. However, only three years after they tied the knot, Ronnie tragically died aged 34 on 11 September 1978 after his Lotus crashed during the Italian Grand Prix. Riccardo Patrese had collided with James Hunt and this caused a chain-reaction which launched Ronnie's Lotus into the barriers at 100mph. The impact of the smash tore off the front end of the vehicle and he sustained severe leg injuries so much so that amputation was considered. He was rushed to Niguarda hospital in Milan, but his condition worsened through the night, causing him to pass away from a bone marrow embolism that entered his bloodstream. Barbaro found it hard to cope after the love of her life was taken away from her prematurely and died of suicide less than a week before Christmas Day in 1987 aged 40. As Barbro was so involved in her late husband's racing life, she was thought to be terribly lonely after his passing. She dated British racing driver John Watson for around five years but Lotus team manager Peter Warr believed that deep down she knew her soulmate was Ronnie. Warr told Motorsport Magazine: 'The lifestyle she led and the happiness she found with Ronnie was totally irreplaceable. She wouldn't have found it with anyone else. 'They were made for each other, and they were just delirious that things worked out so well. They loved life and they loved each other.' Their deaths left 12-year-old Nina an orphan and she was raised by her grandparents. 1980s Susie Moss Married to Sir Stirling Moss Lady Susie Moss first met British F1 legend Sir Stirling Moss when she was five years old and he was 28 in Hong Kong, as the pair's families were close. The pair met again years later when Susie moved to London aged 17. The pair struck up a friendship that slowly blossomed into a romance, despite Stirling briefly going out with Susie's older sister, Tina. Susie previously told the Mail: 'The age gap didn't matter. I never thought about it because, to me, he was never old. He was always such fun.' Susie was four months pregnant with their son Elliot when they married in 1980 at Hammersmith & Fulham Register Office. Susie was never worried that her husband might stray and said: 'Once we'd got married, he wasn't a player. He believed very strongly that one belongs to one.' The pair spent 40 years travelling the world together, going to iconic festivals such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed and luxurious socialite events with brands such as Louis Vuitton and Chopard. Despite the many near-misses of his racing career, Stirling always seemed indestructible. In 2010, aged 80, he even survived a fall down the lift shaft at his home. He had summoned it and stepped into a void, realising too late that the door had opened onto emptiness. He broke both ankles, four bones in his foot and chipped four vertebrae in the plunge. 'I thought I'd lost him,' says Susie. 'But he came bouncing back. He made no fuss at all.' Stirling - who was previously married to Elaine Barberino - then passed away aged 90 from a chest infection in 2020 at their Mayfair home. He had retired from public life in January 2018 after undergoing lengthy rehabilitation for a serious chest infection he contracted in Singapore in 2016. Susie was at his bedside as he died, having nursed him through a long illness, at their central London house. She told the Daily Mail: 'He died as he lived, looking wonderful. He simply tired in the end and he just closed his beautiful eyes and that was that.' Three years after becoming a widow, Susie died aged 69 following a protracted period of ill health, however, her sister Tina believes she passed away from 'a broken heart'. 'My beloved sister died of a broken heart,' Tina, wife of ebullient retail tycoon Sir Philip Green, said amid floods of tears to the Daily Mail. 'She never recovered after Stirling left us. Their marriage was the greatest love story I have ever known.' Their union lasted for nearly four decades, in vivid contrast to his first two marital excursions. The first, to Canadian brewing heiress Kate Molson, ended after three years, while the second, to American Elaine Barbarino, with whom he had a daughter, Allison, endured just a year longer. Susie previously told the Mail: 'He had so many beautiful girlfriends. Oh, they were gorgeous!' 'I think there might be a photo of me among them in the book somewhere. We both kept in touch with a lot of them. I didn't have a problem with that. And the first Mrs Moss (Katie, nee Molson, heir to the Canadian brewing dynasty) used to come and stay with us in London and at our house in Florida.' Susie was never worried that her husband might stray: 'Once we'd got married, he wasn't a player. He believed very strongly that one belongs to one.' The couple lived in Mayfair, just a stone's throw from swanky private members' club 5 Hertford Street, at the house which Sir Stirling designed and equipped with a treasury of gadgets. Susie remained there after his death - sleeping close to the urn containing his ashes. 'She has gone far too soon,' her sister Lady Green said in 2023. 'We will miss her terribly.' 1990s Adriane Galisteu Partner of Ayrton Senna Adriane first met legendary Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna when she worked as a hospitality hostess for the oil company Shell at the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix. Despite the pair seeing each other several times during that race weekend in the hospitality suite, they didn't interact until Ayrton celebrated after the Brazilian Grand Prix at Limelight Club. During their relationship, Adriane lived a glitzy lifestyle and would often jet off to destinations such as Monaco and Hungary to cheer on her boyfriend. According to Tom Rubython's 2004 biography, The Life of Senna, Ayrton planned to stay in Portugal with Adriane for five months during the European race season in 1994 and not return to Brazil during that time, as reported by Business Insider. This caused a rift between the pair and Ayrton's family, who allegedly felt as though the glamorous blonde model was not good enough for their son. Galisteu saw Senna for the last time on April 3, 1994, weeks before his death. She was taking an English language course in Brazil in preparation for spending time in Europe and living with Senna. But their love story was cut short after Ayrton died during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix in Italy while racing for Williams aged just 34. He crashed into a concrete wall at 190mph and died almost instantly from the impact. Heartbroken Adriane - who saw Ayrton for the last time on April 3, 1994, weeks before his death - witnessed the crash as she was watching the race live on television from his apartment in Portugal. She told the Mail: 'I saw the accident and thought nothing of it,' she said. 'In fact, I thought, 'Good, he'll be back early, thank goodness'.' 'But then I saw it was more serious than I first imagined. I stood in front of the TV and watched the replay over and over again. I could see the car was damaged but I never thought he had died.' Adriane was told to get on a plane to Italy immediately but when it was about to take off, the pilot got a call from the tower. She said: 'I imagined it was Ayrton saying 'You don't need to come, everything is OK'. 'It was a friend [who said] ''Adriane, you don't need to come'. 'Wow, that's good', I said, thinking he must be improving. 'No, he's dead'. My world stopped at that moment. 'In my head it was impossible: he could only die of old age. It was incredible that he died doing what he knew best in life. 'It was very difficult for Brazil, for the whole world, but even more for me. It took me many years to recover my life, especially amorously.' Images show emotional Adriane joining mourners at his funeral in May 1994 as she appears to break down in tears over his coffin. Per Rubython's biography, Aridane said that Ayrton told her that he wanted to marry her someday, switch from Williams to Ferrari and had dreamed of becoming a father one day. After his untimely death, she ended up marrying Brazilian businessman Roberto Justus in 1998, but the pair divorced a year later in 1999. She then tied the knot with her current husband Alexandre Iódice in 2010 and the pair share one son together named Vittorio. The former model now works as an actress and TV host, boasting more than six million followers on Instagram, where she regularly shares an insight into her glamorous life. Modern day Alexandra Saint Mleux Dating Charles Leclerc Alexandra Saint Mleux is a TikTok influencer who stole the heart of her beau, Charles Leclerc over two years ago, with the two having made their first public appearance in March 2023. In May of the same year, her racing driver love finally confirmed the budding romance. When she's not cheering her super speedy boyfriend on, she's filming lifestyle and home videos for her TikTok followers. Her glamorous videos are the hallmark of an F1 WAG with her feed full of luxury travel locations, designer outfit fit checks and the odd few on glamorous yachts. Alex isn't just beautiful in herself, but is a fan of all things beautiful, being a passionate art historian. Carmen Montero Mundt Dating George Russell Carmen Montero Mundt has been in a relationship with George Russell since 2020 - and as reported by GP Blog, the couple happily live in Monaco together. According to the outlet, Carmen has previously worked in finance - as an investor relations associate at Ruffer LLP in London - but previously announced that she is going back to studying. The driver's very glamorous girlfriend - who is originally from Spain and moved to the UK aged 18 - has a business degree from the University of Westminster. Carmen has hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, and often shares snaps of her luxury travels and enviable style online. The couple are understood to have met through friends in London, and have made a number of public appearances since first getting together. Kelly Piquet Dating Max Verstappen Kelly is a 36-year-old model from Brazil and hasn't just bagged herself a boyfriend who is a three-time world champion, but also happens to be the daughter of one too - with her father, Nelson Piquet, having the same badge of honour himself. Kelly and Max have been dating since January 2021 and are often spotted with Kelly's daughter, Penelope. The model previously pleaded with social media fans to stop spreading rumours about her after facing 'a strange and upsetting wave of accusations' in the last three years, some of which relate to her previous relationships, with the 36-year-old having dated Russian Formula One driver Daniil Kvyat. In May, Max announced he had welcomed his first child with girlfriend Kelly, taking to Instagram to share the news with a slew of black and white snaps of their baby girl. Max called his daughter the 'greatest gift' and revealed they had named her Lily. Alongside the adorable pictures, he wrote: 'Welcome to the world, sweet Lily. Our hearts are fuller than ever - you are our greatest gift. We love you so much.' While Lily is Max's first child, model Kelly, 36, already has a daughter, Penelope, born in 2019, from her previous relationship with Formula One driver Daniil Kvyat, 30. When talking about having his first child, Max previously explained he is already somewhat prepared thanks to Penelope. The Dutchman said in the Talking Bull podcast: 'Luckily I did get a little bit of training with Penelope, seeing her grow up already for like four years. Which has been also really, really nice. 'But yes, for sure, when it's like, also going be fully your own [kid]... Yes, it's going to be a different challenge. But I'm looking forward to it'. The couple began dating in October 2020, and announced that they were expecting their first child together last December. Despite having a nine-year age gap, Kelly previously said that her relationship with Max is thriving because of the mutual understanding they have for each other. Kelly, said: 'I think we have a very healthy relationship, easygoing, we have a lot of understanding and support for each other. 'You would think the age difference could be a challenge, but so far things are going really well. I also really appreciate how he treats Penelope. It's so sweet to see.' The subject of marriage has been publicly addressed by Max, who said that only 'time will tell' if he and Kelly decide to tie the knot. Rebecca Donaldson Carlos Sainz started his relationship with Rebecca Donaldson in 2023 Donaldson has appeared on the covers of high-end fashion magazines like Vogue and Marie Claire. Pictured with Carlos in June 2024 The Scottish model (pictured) has been sighted at races with her beau Dating Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz started his relationship with Rebecca Donaldson in 2023 - and now, the Scottish model has been sighted at races with her beau. Donaldson has appeared on the covers of high-end fashion magazines like Vogue and Marie Claire since winning a beauty pageant aged 17, when she was a student at the prestigious Perth Academy, dreaming of breaking into the fashion industry. 'My mum entered me and I was really surprised when I found out,' she said at the time. 'I am really excited to have won and am really looking forward to entering the Top Model UK competition.' Rebecca was first linked to Keeping Up With The Kardashians star and Kourtney Kardashian's ex Scott Disick when the pair attended the premiere of a new series of the show in 2022. They dated for two months before splitting up in June of that year. She founded the activewear fashion label Muse in 2020 during the pandemic, explaining: 'I knew I wanted to create something that not only I would wear and be proud of putting my name against, but also something that was missing from the market.' The couple were first seen out together in Milan in June 2023, then fans started to think they were an item when they appeared at a golf course in Amsterdam in late August. One of Sainz's sisters began following her on Instagram, adding fuel to speculation about a romance, before Donaldson took to the catwalk at Madrid Fashion Week in front of members of the driver's family. Tickets for F1's British Grand Prix at Silverstone can be purchased at ahead of the three-day event on July 5 to July 7.
Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Inside Britain's busiest airport: SHIVALI BEST goes behind-the-scenes at Heathrow's Terminal 5 to find out what really happens to your bag
It's the best-connected airport in the world, linking to over 230 destinations in nearly 90 countries. So it should come as no surprise that Heathrow Airport also features one of the world's most sophisticated baggage systems. In 2024 alone, Heathrow handled a whopping 39.47 million outbound bags. To put that into perspective, that's an average of 75 bags per minute, or 1.25 bags every second! Unsurprisingly, the transport hub is usually extremely private about what happens behind closed doors. However, MailOnline's Science and Technology Editor, Shivali Best, was invited behind-the-scenes at Heathrow's Terminal 5 for a rare look inside. With 150 check-in positions, over 18 miles of conveyor belts, and an early bag storage warehouse managed by 30 cranes, the baggage system is meticulously designed from start-to-finish. So, whether you're a happy holidaymaker or a busy businessperson, here's what really happens to your bag as it passes through Britain's busiest airport. Heathrow's Terminal 5 opened back in 2008, and is mainly used by British Airways. It's safe to say that its baggage handling system went off to a rocky start, with the then Aviation Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick, claiming the terminal had fallen 'well short of expectation'. In the opening days, issues with Terminal 5's IT systems forced British Airways to cancel hundreds of flights and suspend check-in, with a total of around 42,000 bags failing to reach their owners. Thankfully, in the 17 years since, Heathrow has ramped up its system and processes, with Terminal 5 now boasting the largest automated baggage handling system in the world. I met with Baggage Engineering Duty Managers, Alec Burge and Nigel Jinman, at the departure gates for a tour of this world-class operation. Terminal 5 alone has 150 check-in positions 30 metres above ground, where passengers can drop off their luggage. 'When each passenger checks in, their bag is given a tag with a Baggage Source Message (BSM),' Mr Burge explains. 'Every passenger has a unique one, containing information on everything from their name, flight number, class, and seat. The first stop is a volumetric scanner, which detects whether a bag is lying flat or upright 'The BSM is used to route the bag through the baggage system to the correct flight.' Behind the scenes, the baggage system is split into two sections - north and south - where bags are transported on mirror journeys to airplanes at the 53 departure gates. Armed with our passports and security passes, we make our way through an unassuming door and begin our exploration of this mysterious baggage labyrinth. After climbing 10 metres down, we see bags first entering the system. 'As the bag drops down into the system, an automatic reader will look at the BSM,' Mr Burge explained. 'There are dozens of scanners throughout the baggage system.' The first stop is a volumetric scanner, which detects whether a bag is lying flat or upright, and whether it is too big or heavy. If the scanner detects a bag is upright - a prime position for it to get into a jam - it will reroute it to a special rotating belt that flips it on to its side, before it rejoins the main conveyor belt. Just when I think the whistle-stop tour is coming to an end, the experts show me the Early Bag Storage unit, where any early bags can be stored safely until they're needed If the bags do happen to get into a jam at any point, engineers are watching on CCTV and can step in to try to clear the blockage. Next, it's over to the X-ray scanners, where the bags go through five levels of screening. If they fail at the first level, they are escalated to the next, and escalation continues as required, with the police being called if the bag cannot be cleared. Once a bag has been given the all-clear at security, it passes through to a 'sorter' conveyor belt - a huge track made up of 1,300 moving trays. As the trays wind their way around the track, much to my surprise, they suddenly tip, launching the bags off into one of 132 outputs. Finally, the bags at each output are loaded onto a unit loading device, which is driven by the airline to the plane to be loaded on. One of the biggest stresses for travellers is the risk of bags being lost during tight transfers. Thankfully, Terminal 5 also has a rollercoaster-like connection system to ensure bags are whisked through at top speed - and precision. 'If you're on a tight connection, your bag is flagged as time-critical,' Mr Burge explains. 'Connecting bags go through 16 transfer belts to a destination coded vehicle, which loops around to where it needs to be.' Just when I think the whistle-stop tour is coming to an end, the experts show me the Early Bag Storage unit, where any early bags can be stored safely until they're needed. Reminiscent of the Door Warehouse in 'Monsters, Inc', this unit is managed by 30 automated cranes, which can whisk over 6,500 bags around with impressive precision. As with most systems, Terminal 5's baggage system isn't fault-free, with occasional blockages requiring engineers to come and rejig the bags. 'A lot of the time, it's due to the ways the bags were offloaded,' Mr Burge tells me. 'The airline handlers place the bags on the conveyor belt, and they should leave a space so bags can run through the system nice and easily.' Other issues come down to the nature of the bags themselves. 'If every bag was a square box, it would process through the system much better,' he joked. As a passenger, there are several easy things you can do to reduce the risk of an issue with your bag, according to Mr Jinman. 'Bag straps are always getting stuck, and we can't repatriate them so they just go in the bin,' he said. 'They're an absolute nightmare. Cling film wrap is also awful - it gets wrapped up like the straps do.' Hard bags are the best option, according to the expert. 'We treat the trays like surfboards - we wax them so they're smooth. So some really soft leather bags or sports equipment bags can get stuck on the trays,' he explained. 'When the trays tip, those bags don't always fall down the right chute. 'Thankfully, this will set off an alarm in the control room and an engineer will go down to recover the bags.' Meanwhile, Mr Jinman's top tip is to always include a note inside your suitcase with your name, flight details, and phone number. 'If the tag comes off your bag, as soon as we open it up we can call you and see what flight you're on.' AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: HOW DOES IT WORK? Air traffic control aims to move planes safely and efficiently through the airspace system. Controllers keep aircraft set distances apart while moving them from airport to airport using designated routes. Before take off, airlines will file a flight plan with air traffic control so every controller who deals with the flight on its journey is aware of its details and route. When an aircraft is at an airport, the pilots on board will be in contact with controllers in the airport's control tower. Air traffic controllers will monitor the aircraft while it is on the ground and give it permission to take off. Once airborne the pilot will then normally talk to another controller using a radar screen to track the aircraft's progress through the airways system (equivalent to motorways in the sky). Each controller is responsible for planes in a set area of airspace. When an aircraft is nearing the edge of their sector they will coordinate its handover to the next controller. This will continue through the aircraft's journey until it is handed over to the controller at the destination airport. Most airliners are monitored by controllers using radar in airways and routes known as 'controlled airspace'. The majority of airspace that is left is known as 'uncontrolled', and this is used by the military and recreational pilots. In this airspace some air traffic control services are provided, especially near airfields, but in much of the airspace it is the pilots' responsibility to see and avoid each other.
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Lottery players could still win record EuroMillions jackpot next week
The EuroMillions draw on Friday night offered a record jackpot of £210m, but no winning tickets were purchased. The winning numbers were 20, 21, 29, 30, 35, with Lucky Stars 2 and 12. Seven players won the second-tier prize, entitling them to winnings of more than £2m each. The jackpot is capped at £210m, and additional money has gone to boosting prizes in the second tier. Tuesday's draw will offer an estimated jackpot of £208 million, meaning the record prize amount is still up for grabs.
