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The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Major road in busy town to SHUT for three weeks as water company apologises for delays
A MAJOR road in a busy town is due to close for three weeks, with a water company apologising to locals. The road in Advertisement The road is used by buses as well as cars, and is likely to cause issues for those trying to enter a nearby car park. Severn Trent apologised for the delays drivers may experience because of Bank Road in Matlock being closed. The water company said it only carries out work that is "absolutely necessary" when it causes road closures. It said these works are needed to improve the health of the river across the county. Advertisement Read More The company added that it will help reduce the number of sewage spills within its network. Heavy rainfall often means the pipes struggle and sewage leaks out. Kera Patch, community communications officer at Severn Trent, told "To enable our teams to work safely and complete the work quickly, a road closure will be in place along Bank Road from June 2 to June 20. Advertisement Most read in Motors Live Blog Breaking Breaking Exclusive "We know that road closures can be disruptive and we only request them when absolutely necessary to help keep our team and road users safe. "We'd like to apologise for any inconvenience and thank everyone in advance for their patience while we complete these works.' It comes after Thames Water was hit with its largest ever fine over sewage spills. It will pay £104.5million for sewage spills, plus £18.2million for breaking the rules over dividend payments. Advertisement Watchdog Ofwat slammed the struggling company for 'letting down its customers and failing to protect the environment'. It said Thames had 'routinely and not in exceptional circumstances' released untreated sewage. And, issuing its first fine over shareholder payments, it highlighted one of £37.5million in October 2023 to the firm's holding company — plus another £131.3million dividend from March 2024. 1 Severn Trent apologised for the delays drivers may experience because of Bank Road in Matlock being closed Credit: Alamy Advertisement
The Irish Sun
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Thousands of drivers face tax hike of over £7,000 if they own specific type of popular vehicle – check if you are hit
A HUGE tax hike is set to hit thousands of drivers across the UK. New Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) rules could change how some vehicles are classified by HMRC. Advertisement 2 Tax hikes will impact thousands of vehicle owners in the UK Credit: Getty Owners of double-cab Vehicles in this category include the the From April 6, pick-ups are being treated as company cars, rather than The revisions to the tax brackets come after a 2020 Advertisement Read more Motos This led BIK tax regulators to abandon the one-tonne payload test, which measured the weight a pick-up could carry in Under this previous system, pick-ups were taxed at a flat rate of £3,960 per year. Instead, under new rules they would be judged on carbon emissions, with huge numbers of Shocking moment 'road rage' motorist swings PUNCHES at recovery truck driver in blazing row at roundabout For a £45,000 pick-up, a 20% taxpayer would now have to foot a tax bill of £3,330 a year, with 40% taxpayers paying £6,660 for their motor. Advertisement Most read in Motors Live Blog Breaking Live Blog Experts at Auto Traders have warned that more expensive models may see emissions tax bills go above the £7,000 mark. They said: "from April 2025 a £50k double cab Ford Ranger would fall into the 37 per cent BIK rate, meaning you'd need to pay £3,550 in tax if you were a 20 per cent taxpayer. "For people in the 40 per cent tax bracket, that new tax payment would be just over £7,000." The misery for Advertisement Pick-up drivers are now moving from a £757 van rate, to the hefty car fuel benefit multiplier of £28,200 - also varying according to emissions and income. Some experts have even warned that claiming fuel benefit won't be worth it for many truck drivers. To further turn the screw on pick-up owners, their Thankfully for double- Advertisement Anyone who bought or leased a pick-up before April 6 can stay under the old rules until 2029, providing a limited Leading tax firm Finsbury Robinson advised: "Many business owners will be considerably worse off, but choices can still be made to minimise tax liabilities.' Unsurprisingly, a petition against the changes has been launched, demanding Labour "reverse the Tax Treatment of Double Cab Pickup Trucks in the 2024 Autumn Budget". It highlights the potential harm to businesses these changes could make, and focuses on the crucial role pick-ups play in Advertisement Addressed to Rachel Reeves, it claims: 'We think this change will harm many businesses, farmers, tradespeople, and individuals relying on double cab pickups for "Reclassifying them as cars drastically raises costs by increasing Benefit in Kind tax and lowering their capital allowances. Any petition with 10,000 signatures will receive a formal response from the government, and any with 100,000 are considered for debate in Parliament. 2 Pick-up trucks will now be considered company cars by HMRC Credit: Getty Advertisement
