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Consumers are being warned they may be targeted by scammers as the government’s energy price guarantee comes into effect.

Messages asking for people to provide personal or financial details to receive support should be treated as fraudulent activity, as no applications are required, the business secretary has said.

The £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme will be applied automatically to bills each month between October and next March.

And the Energy Price Guarantee, which will limit the amount households pay per unit of gas and electricity, comes into effect from today.

In a statement, Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “Unprecedented government support is beginning this weekend, protecting families and businesses across the country from what was going to be an 80% increase in energy bills this winter.

“I also urge people today to stay alert to scams. This support will reach people automatically and there is no need to apply.”

Earlier this month, Action Fraud – the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime – said nearly 1,600 reports had been made to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) about scam emails purporting to be about energy rebates from regulator, Ofgem.

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Ministers say the Energy Price Guarantee should mean a typical household will pay about £2,500 per year, starting this month for the next two years – protecting them against what could have been, on average, an additional £1,000 a year on their energy bills.

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Energy costs ‘borne collectively’

The government has confirmed households in Northern Ireland will also receive the same support through the Energy Price Guarantee from November, with support for October bills backdated.

People who live in areas not served by the gas grid or who use alternative fuels such as heating oil will still receive a £100 support payment.

For the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme, customers on pre-payment meters will receive a credit or vouchers direct from their electricity supplier.

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How to save money on energy bills

Households have been urged to take a photograph of their meter reading and do what they can to cut their energy use as prices spike.

But after a massive surge in people submitting readings caused problems at many suppliers, Ofgem stressed that people did not need to all submit their readings by today.

“If you’re planning to submit your meter reading by October 1, you can submit it a reasonable time after,” the regulator said.

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Support for businesses, charities and public sector organisations will also come into effect from today through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

The scheme will operate for six months and could be extended subject to a review.

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Ministers say the discounts it will provide on the price per unit of gas and electricity will result in payments of wholesale energy costs below half of what had been feared.

As the energy price cap comes into force, Prime Minister Liz Truss said: “Livelihoods and businesses were at stake. The government’s energy support limits the price they pay for gas and electricity, shields them from massive bill increases, and is expected to curb inflation too.

“The cost of not acting would have been enormous.”

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Starmer says UK will ‘set out a plan’ to raise defence spending to 2.5%

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Starmer says UK will 'set out a plan' to raise defence spending to 2.5%

The UK will “set out a plan” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.

Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.

There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte and  Keir Starmer, during a trilateral meeting in 10 Downing Street.
Pic: PA
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Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sir Keir Starmer and NATO boss Mark Rutte in October. Pic: PA

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A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.

They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.

“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.

“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”

The defence review will also be published in the spring.

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While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.

They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.

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Storm Bert: Snow, rain and wind as weather warnings cover most of UK

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Storm Bert: Snow, rain and wind as weather warnings cover most of UK

Snow, rain and strong winds are expected to disrupt travel plans and potentially cause flooding as Storm Bert hits the UK.

Several weather warnings are in place, while 16 flood alerts have been issued – warning flooding is possible – in England and Scotland.

Most of the UK is affected by yellow warnings for either wind, rain or snow, with a slightly more severe amber warning covering parts of northern England and central Scotland.

Two areas of Ireland have been issued a rare red warning for heavy rain until 10am.

Check out the forecast in your area

London, East Anglia, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Hull and swathes of the Midlands are the only parts with no current warnings in place.

The warnings in place. Pic: Met Office
Image:
The warnings in place. Pic: Met Office

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern described a “multiple hazard event” going into Saturday morning.

“We’ll see two to four hours of heavy snow across parts of northern England and Scotland during Saturday morning,” he said.

“This snow will accumulate thick and fast, with five to 10cm at lower levels and as much as 20 to 40cm over hills accompanied by strong winds.

“You can expect blizzards over hills across northern England and Scotland, atrocious conditions for travelling and going over the hills and also the risk of power interruptions because of snow build up on power lines.

“So all in all, a multiple hazard event as we go into Saturday morning.”

Temperatures will rise quickly as the storm brings milder air from the Atlantic, he said, resulting in a “rapid thaw” by the afternoon.

Where the warnings are and when

South coast – A yellow warning for wind is in place for the entire south coast of England from 3pm until 9pm, with a slight chance of damage to buildings and power cuts.

Southwest – From 6am, a yellow warning for rain is in place in the southwest of England, from Cornwall up to Oxford and stretching to Portsmouth. This is in place until 11.45pm.

Wales – Heavy rain is likely to cause some travel disruption, particularly in South Wales, with a yellow warning across the country lasting 24 hours from 6am.

Northern Ireland – A yellow warning for rain and snow kicked in at midnight and lasts until 11am, likely affecting journey times on roads and rails.

Midlands, north and Scotland – A yellow warning for rain and snow reaching from Stoke and Nottingham up to all of Scotland started at 4am and stays in place until 9am. Manchester, Liverpool and Hull are not affected.

Southern Scotland – An amber warning for snow starts at 7am and ends at midday, covering the Pennines, Yorkshire Dales and some southern parts of Scotland.

Central Scotland – Parts of central Scotland can expect some heavy snowfall, with an amber warning for snow and ice from 7am until 5pm over Aberfeldy and surrounding areas, northwest of Perth and Dundee.

East and west coasts – From 5am until 7pm, a yellow warning for wind covers the entire eastern coasts of Scotland and northern England, down to Grimsby.

The same warning covers much of the western coastline from Wales up to northern Scotland, though Manchester and Liverpool are not included.

What the weather warnings mean

• Yellow – people are advised to check the details of the forecast and consider extra steps to minimise any impact, while disruption is likely, particularly for travel;
• Amber – disruption is more likely and more widespread and people are advised to change plans impacted by weather;
• Red – reserved for very dangerous weather that can pose a danger to life and cause substantial travel disruption.

Travel disruption

While airports are not expecting disruption, rail companies have announced service changes over the weekend.

In Scotland, there will be speed restrictions on the West Highland Line, Highland Mainline, Stranraer Line, Glasgow South Western Line, Far North Line, and West Coast Mainline between Carstairs and the border.

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ScotRail has also withdrawn services from Inverness to Elgin, Aberdeen to Inverurie, and Glasgow Queen Street to Oban.

The TransPennine Express, meanwhile, “strongly” urged customers not to travel north of Carlisle on Saturday and Avanti West Coast advised against travel north of Preston.

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Gatwick Airport: Police release two people who were detained amid security incident as South Terminal reopens

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Gatwick Airport: Police release two people who were detained amid security incident as South Terminal reopens

Two people detained during a security incident at Gatwick Airport have been allowed to continue their journeys after a suspect package saw a “large part” of the South Terminal evacuated.

The terminal was closed for hours after the discovery of a “suspected prohibited item” in a passenger’s luggage sparked an emergency response. It reopened at around 3.45pm.

Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team “made the package safe” before handing the airport back to its operator, Sussex Police said.

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Passengers at Gatwick Airport after flights were cancelled. Pic: PA
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Passengers at Gatwick Airport after flights were cancelled. Pic: PA

Their statement continued: “Two people who were detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys.

“There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel.”

The force also thanked the public and airport staff for their patience while the incident was ongoing.

Earlier the airport, which is the UK’s second busiest, said the terminal was evacuated after a “security incident”.

“The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police,” it later said in a statement on Friday afternoon.

“The South Terminal is reopening to staff and will be open to passengers shortly.”

Gatwick said some flights were cancelled while others were delayed.

It said passengers should contact their airlines for any updates on flights.

Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of travellers heading away from the terminal building.

“Arrived at London Gatwick for routine connection. Got through customs to find out they’re evacuating the entire airport,” one passenger said.

“Even people through security are being taken outside. Trains shut down,” another passenger added, who said “thousands” of people were forced to leave.

Another passenger said people near the gates were being told to stay there and not go back to the departure lounge.

People outside the airport were handed blankets and water, passengers told Sky News.

The airport said its North Terminal was still operating normally.

Gatwick Express said its trains did not call at Gatwick Airport during the police response, but the airport said trains would start calling there again once the terminal was fully reopened.

More than 600 flights were due to take off or land at Gatwick on Friday, amounting to more than 121,000 passenger seats, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

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