Latest news with #MayBankHoliday
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Full list of all late May bank holiday opening hours for major supermarkets and retailers revealed: Tesco, ASDA, Aldi and more
With the May bank holiday fast approaching, many Brits will be planning BBQs, day trips, or simply stocking up for a relaxing long weekend. Supermarkets across the country will be adjusting their hours for the occasion, with most chains operating reduced schedules on the Monday itself. Whether you're planning a countryside picnic, a garden get-together, or simply a quiet day at home, a trip to the supermarket is likely on the agenda. While many stores remain open for part of the day, it's common for them to close earlier than usual, giving staff a well-earned break as the spring season reaches its peak. It's worth noting that opening times can vary not only by chain but also by region, with Scottish branches often running longer hours than those in England and Wales. And in Northern Ireland, schedules may differ entirely. To help you plan ahead and avoid any last-minute surprises, here is a rounded up the expected opening times for the UK's major supermarkets this coming bank holiday Monday. Tesco stores will operate reduced hours on the May bank holiday, with most branches welcoming customers between 8am and 6pm. Some locations, particularly in Scotland, may stay open later, so checking your local store's schedule is recommended. Asda is expected to follow its standard trading hours in many areas, though a few stores may opt for an earlier closing time of 5pm. It's best to consult the store locator to confirm details for your nearest branch. Aldi will open its doors from 8am to 8pm, giving shoppers plenty of time to pick up essentials. Those in Scotland may find their local branch trading until 10pm. Lidl shoppers can expect doors to open at 8am and close at 10pm, although these hours can vary slightly depending on location. Marks and Spencer will open for a limited period on the holiday, typically from 8:30am to 6pm. Exact hours may differ, so customers are encouraged to check before travelling. Morrisons will serve customers from 7am to 8pm at most shops, though variations may apply based on different. Sainsbury's has said most of its stores will be trading between 8am and 8pm, while their smaller Local stores are likely to operate from 7am until 11pm. Waitrose hours will vary more widely, with some Little Waitrose stores remaining open from 7am to 10pm.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Argos launches HUGE bank holiday sale to rival Prime Day with up to 50% off - here's what is worth buying from Ninja, Dyson, Habitat and more
Shoppers are rushing to Argos for its answer to Amazon Prime Day, where the high street retailer has slashed the price of thousands of products. But you'll want to hurry as this sale ends June 3. The Argos Big Red Event is back for the May bank holiday weekend, offering bargain-loving shoppers the chance to snap up huge savings across electrics, beauty and homeware. Getting your summer off to a flying start, you can save up to 50 per cent off, with major brands taking part including Ninja, Dyson, Samsung Galaxy, Habitat and Shark. You can unlock the savings with promo codes RED10, RED20, RED30, or RED50 - each gives a different discount on selected items. Sale products display their discount on the page, you just enter the code at checkout to save. Whether you're looking to upgrade your TV, vacuum cleaner, sofa, or just looking for something to keep the kids entertained over the May half term, the Argos Big Red offers aren't to be missed. Dyson Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer - Green A hairdryer but not like you know it, the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer has added intelligence to help enhance natural shine and protect scalp health. With five attachments, three speed and four temperature settings, this is a game-changer for hair health. £314.99 (save £34.99) Shop De'Longhi La Specialista Maestro EC9865.M Coffee Machine If you have been eyeing up a fancy coffee machine, then now is the time to bite the bullet with 30 per cent off De'Longhi. Bringing an authentic coffee-making experience home, you can now grind, tamp and brew to espresso perfection with eight pre-set recipes. £700 (save £300) Shop tonies Blue Toniebox with Creative Tonie A winner with parents and children alike, the tonies Blue Toniebox with Creative Tonie plays songs and stories for hours, helping keep them entertained. Easy to use, you just tap and tilt to navigate their way through the songs and stories. And with seven hours of battery life, it's great for long car journeys or rainy days at home. £72 (save £8) Shop Dyson 534068-01 Airstrait Wet/Dry Hair Straightener - Black While traditional hair straighteners use hot plates to iron away frizz, the Dyson device uses high-velocity downward blades of air rather than high temperatures, resulting in less damage. Straightening from wet to dry, this is a smart way to simplify your routine for a natural straight finish. £359.99 (save £40) Shop LG 43 Inch 43LQ60006LA Smart FHD HDR TV Don't miss out on 10 per cent off the LG 43 Inch smart TV and reap the rewards of a fully loaded webOS smart platform, so you'll never be stuck for something to watch again. As well as an easy-to-use interface with content options from Freeview Play to Netflix and Disney+ you can also enjoy stunning pictures thanks to the sharp Full HD display plus smart processor. £161.99 (save £18) Shop Flymo EasiGlide 330V 33cm Corded Hover Lawnmower - 1700W Powerful yet compact, the lightweight hover mower floats on a cushion of air, making it highly maneuverable for your ease of use. The 20L collection box collects and compacts as it cuts, reducing the number of stoppages when cutting your lawn. £100 (save £25) Shop Ninja 1.4L CREAMi Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Maker Get the viral Ninja 1.4L CREAMi for 20 per cent off at Argos. This ice cream and frozen drinks maker boasts three large 709ml BPA-free Deluxe tubs and lids, enabling you to create 50 per cent more ice cream. It also boasts advanced CREAMify Technology, which allows you to enjoy shaved ice, creamier scoops, two-in-one-tub flavours and frozen drinks in minutes. £160 (save £40) Shop Nespresso Vertuo Next by De'Longhi Pod Coffee Machine - Grey Now a massive 50 per cent off, there's never been a better time to shop the Nespresso Vertuo Next coffee machine. Having your coffee ready in mere moments, it heats up in 30 seconds while the integrated technology reads the coffee pod's barcode and automatically adjusts the brewing settings for you so you get the best possible cup, every time. £75 (save £75) Shop
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Millions of households set to get half-price energy over spring bank holiday
Millions of households are set to benefit from cut price energy this bank holiday weekend. British Gas is offering customers half-price electricity as part of its 'PeakSave scheme' this May Bank Holiday weekend. Customers are rewarded for shifting electricity usage to times when demand is lower or when more renewable energy is available on the grid under the scheme. The offer which launched in 2023 has helped customers save a combined total of nearly £25 million and 1606 tonnes of carbon emissions and collectively shifted 28,619 MWH so far. When it is windy or sunny and lots of renewable energy is available customers get two hours of electricity half price. Energy is also cheaper every Sunday. Between 11am and 4pm on the 25th and 26th May PeakSave customers will receive half-price electricity. The bank holiday weekend offer will be in celebration of the 1 millionth household to sign up to the scheme aimed at reducing energy bills and efficient energy use. Catherine O'Kelly, Managing Director of British Gas, said: "We're proud to have supported a million customers through our PeakSave scheme, helping them make simple yet impactful changes to how they use energy. 'By shifting energy usage to lower-demand periods, households can not only reduce their bills but also support a more flexible, greener energy future. This extended Bank Holiday offer is our way of saying thank you and encouraging even more people to take part.' The price reduction comes as consumers face the burden of rising living costs. However, household energy bills have been projected to decrease by about 7 per cent this July. Industry analysts Cornwall Insight predict the typical annual household energy bill will fall by £129, settling at around £1,720 when Ofgem's revised price cap takes effect. Ofgem, the energy market regulator responsible for setting the upper limit on what energy suppliers can charge customers, is expected to formally announce the updated price cap on Friday. This anticipated reduction follows three consecutive price cap increases, with the current cap standing at approximately £1,849 for a typical household.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
The best time to book last-minute May Bank Holiday travel for the cheapest price revealed
With May Bank Holiday fast approaching, many families across the UK are still hoping to book a last-minute trip that won't cost a fortune. Thankfully, ticket experts at AttractionTickets are on hand to advise on the best date and time to book for households looking for a quick getaway toward 26 May. According to Oliver Brendon, CEO of AttractionTickets, the key to securing wallet-friendly fares at this late stage lies entirely in booking strategically. He said: 'It's a common misconception that booking earlier always guarantees the best prices. 'The reality is that airlines regularly adjust their fares based on demand, and savvy travellers can benefit from these fluctuations even just a week ahead of departure. 'This means there's still time to save on last-minute travel this May bank holiday, especially if you know when to book.' Analysis shows that Sunday is the most cost-effective day of the week to book trips. Over the weekend, airlines typically release cut-price fares and adjust inventory, meaning travellers can save up to 23 per cent compared to booking on a Friday. Additionally, the best time to snap up cheap fares is around 6am, when they tend to be significantly lower in price than those booked later in the day. It's during these early hours that airlines drop fresh fairs while adjusting pricing algorithms before the day's search traffic begins. For households looking to book a bank holiday trip toward 26 May, Brendon recommends getting online early on the morning of Sunday 18 May, or Sunday 25 May for those feeling particularly risky. These dates give families just enough time to prepare while still cashing in on some of the best available pricing.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- The Independent
From theft to cabin safety, how do cruise ships deal with crime at sea?
The level of crime and safety on board cruise ships has come under the spotlight after a murder investigation was launched following an altercation during a mini- cruise aboard MSC Virtuosa over the early May Bank Holiday weekend. A 57-year-old man has been arrested and bailed on suspicion of murder and a 60-year-old has been arrested and bailed on suspicion of manslaughter. These incidents may worry future cruise passengers, but crime on a cruise is rare, and experts say it shouldn't deter you from booking a cruise. A spokesperson for industry body Cruise Lines International Association, told The Independent: "Crime is extremely rare on cruise ships – and significantly lower than on land – as a result of comprehensive security measures, hiring protocols and training. "While we recognise that even one incident is too many, our members are required to have comprehensive security measures, protocols and training, which makes cruise one of the safest holiday options in the world. Compassion is important, and, therefore, this includes responding to incidents in a caring manner by determining and providing special accommodations and support services as appropriate." Here is how cruise ships deal with crimes that take place on board. How much crime is there on cruise ships? Much of the data on cruise ship crime is based on reports to US officials. This is because any crime on ships sailing to or from the US must be reported to the FBI. Figures from the US Department for Transportation show there were 168 crime incidents reported to the FBI by cruise brands last year, which includes cases of assault, rape and theft. There were 48 in the first quarter of this year. While cruise lines take issues of crime seriously, Dr James Fox, a professor of criminology at Northeastern University in Boston, regularly studies this data and says the rate of violent crime at sea is around 95 per cent lower than an average US city. There is no official UK data, but regular cruisers have said they feel perfectly safe on a ship. 'Despite what the headlines might suggest, cruising remains one of the safest ways to travel,' says cruise content creator Jenni Fielding, who writes the Cruise Mummy blog. 'Despite regularly booking short and cheap cruises as a solo traveller, I've never had a bad experience. 'Thefts on cruise ships are very rare. I often work from the on-board cafés and I would happily leave my laptop unattended while I go to the bathroom – not something I would ever do in a café on land.' Similarly, Emma Le Teace, who runs the Emma Cruises YouTube channel and is a co-founder of Cruise Globe, said she has been cruising for more than 20 years on 76 cruises and hasn't ever seen any violence or criminal behaviour first-hand. She adds: 'Cruise ships are generally really safe and I feel safer on ships than on land a lot of the time.' How do cruise ships deal with crime? There are no police on board cruise ships, but cruise lines will have security teams to deal with incidents. There are phones on board cruise ships and, on each one, there is an emergency number shortcut, usually 911 or 999. If an incident occurs, the security team will secure the scene, preserve evidence and interview witnesses. Passengers involved may have their keycard blocked so they can't enter their room or make purchases if they are required to be interviewed. Joanne Brine, partner in the travel litigation team at JMW Solicitors, explains: 'The ship's captain has the ultimate authority to determine how to deal with an alleged crime. 'Smaller ships may have a policy that any suspected offenders are confined to their cabins, supervised by trained crew members. Larger ships may have a 'brig' to hold passengers, which is a secure room.' When a crime is suspected, the captain of the ship may decide to detain passengers thought to be involved in their cabin or the ship's brig. They may also choose to return to shore and disembark the suspected offender. Next there are rules to follow about who takes over. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), countries have jurisdiction over activities in waters within 12 nautical miles of their national coastline. If a ship is in international waters when the crime takes place, jurisdiction usually falls to the flag nation where the ship is registered. If the vessel is sailing in a different area to the one in which they were registered, responsibility typically falls to the authorities at the next scheduled port. How to stay safe on a cruise ship TikTok is full of videos where cruise passengers show you how they secure their cabins with trip alarms and hidden cameras. But Fielding suggests it isn't worth panic-buying all these security gadgets. She says: 'Cruise ships are generally safe environments, but as with anywhere, it's smart to take some common-sense precautions. Lock your cabin door at night, avoid leaving drinks unattended and never go into someone's stateroom alone. 'Some solo travellers like to bring door stoppers or alarms for peace of mind. The likelihood of someone breaking into your cabin is extremely rare, and I think that these devices are unnecessary. 'When walking to my room alone, I'm always mindful of who is around in the corridor, and if I ever didn't feel confident, I would keep walking past my door until they had gone. 'I'm aware that someone twice my size could push me inside my cabin, where there are no cameras, and I always take care not to reveal my cabin number to anyone.' Le Teace adds that you're far more likely to come across issues such as fights happening on short cruises, particularly if alcohol is included. 'Weekend cruises often attract groups looking to party like stag dos, hen dos and birthday parties,' she says. 'These cruises can be great fun, but aren't a reflection of longer cruises. 'Some cruise lines add extra security to shorter cruises, or they don't sell unlimited drinks on cruises under a certain length.' Nicky Kelvin, founder of The Points Guy travel website, says cruisers should maintain the same level of vigilance as they would anywhere else. He says: 'Precautions you would take in your daily life – such as protecting your belongings, supervising children, and being wary of strangers – should also apply when you are on a cruise.'
