United Utilities sewage dumping case heads to Supreme Court March 6, 2023 The UK’s largest listed water company, United Utilities, heads to the Supreme Court this week in a fight over discharge of sewage into the country’s waterways. The Manchester Ship Canal Company, which owns the 36-mile long canal that links Manchester to the Irish Sea, is claiming the water firm’s sewage disposal methods are akin to [...]
HS2 could be delayed AGAIN in bid to curb ever-rising costs, project’s CEO says March 3, 2023 The HS2 rail project could be delayed among a number of potential options being considered to curb rising costs, the project’s boss has said. In an interview with the BBC, HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston said the impact of inflation on the project over the past year has been “significant… whether that’s in timber, steel, [...]
Travis Perkins: Toolstation owner slashed 400 jobs and 19 branches as slowdown hit construction sector February 28, 2023 Builders’ merchant Travis Perkins has revealed it axed 400 jobs and shut 19 branches at the end of last year as a slowdown in the construction sector hit its bottom line. The group, which owns the Toolstation chain, said it was forced to take some “difficult decisions” to slash costs by £25 million this year. [...]
UK drivers could miss out on £9bn in savings without Government backing for electric vehicles, report warns February 27, 2023 UK motorists could miss out on £9 billion of savings unless the Government does more to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs), a new report warns. A slower roll-out of new EVs would reduce the size of the second-hand market, leaving drivers on lower incomes paying more to continue running petrol cars, the Energy [...]
Nissan accelerates shift to electric vehicles in Europe to meet strict emission regulations February 27, 2023 Nissan is speeding up its shift toward electric vehicles (EVs), especially in Europe where emissions regulations are most stringent, the company said. The Japanese carmaker said in a statement that it will make practically all its offerings in Europe electric or series-hybrids by fiscal 2026, at 98 per cent. That is up from the previous [...]
Jaguar fails to block Cheshire campervan maker from trademarking ‘Overlander’ brand February 26, 2023 Luxury carmaker Jaguar has failed in its bid to block a Cheshire campervan company from trademarking the word ‘Overlander’. Jaguar asked a tribunal to block Warrington firm Car & Commercial Solutions Ltd from registering the word ‘Overlander’ as a trademark, due to it sharing similarities with its own ‘Lander’ brand. The tribunal ruled, however, it [...]
Motor boss warns against ‘protectionism’ as electric vehicle production accelerates 50 per cent February 24, 2023 Car production in Britain fell slightly in January as thousands continued the shift towards electric vehicles which experienced a near 50 per cent increase. Despite global economic instability, car production fell just 0.3 per cent last month, which was welcomed by the industry as a sign of market stability. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and [...]
British Airways: Owner IAG shells out £352m to sweep up remainder of Spanish carrier February 24, 2023 British Airways’ owner International Airlines Group (IAG) will pay €400m (£352m) to Spanish firm Globalia for the remaining 80 per cent stake of its Air Europa carrier. IAG said the move will allow it to tap into the Latin America and Caribbean market as well as to increase ties to Asia. The owner of Britain’s [...]
Heathrow narrows losses to £1.3bn thanks to travel bounce back February 23, 2023 Heathrow Airport narrowed its losses sharply in 2022 amid a bounce back in travel demand, but said results were weighed on by surging cost pressures and lower passenger numbers. The group reported underlying pre-tax losses of £684 million for last year, against losses of £1.3 billion in 2021. It said no dividends were paid in [...]
Ukraine war fuels record orders of £37bn for arms titan BAE Systems February 23, 2023 The war in Ukraine helped to boost arms and combat vehicle manufacturer BAE Systems as it reported record orders of £37bn. The company’s sales were up 4.4 per cent in the last year to £23bn as conflict rages in Europe for the first time in decades, while Ukraine’s president recently toured the continent pleading for [...]