Thousands of shoppers are expected to be heading to their local high streets and retail parks or scouring the websites of their favourite shops as Black Friday gets under way.
But consumer group Which? has warned that there are a few deals that should be avoided, highlighting a pair of child car seats, a TV, a dishwasher, a laptop, and fridges and freezers.
Which? said it had tested the items and concluded that they “could be a waste of money for shoppers – at a time when many can ill afford it during the current cost of living crisis”.
Products it said had raised red flags were:
Graco Logico L car seat
This was being sold on Amazon at a discounted price of £40 from its pre-sale price of £50.
Which? said the seat meets legal safety requirements under R44 regulations, but due to poor side-impact protection, it was not recommended.
Which? said the car seat is only legally required to pass front impact testing, but its own test includes side impact.
Amazon said the car seat is not currently available as a Black Friday deal. When Sky News looked on the website, it was listed as “out of stock”.
Advertisement
Maxi Cosi Beryl car seat
This also performed poorly in Which?’s side crash test, although it met legal safety requirements under R44 regulations.
Which? said: “The product’s sizing is not quite right, meaning children weighing 25kg are slightly oversized for the seat, leaving them exposed.”
A retailer which did have the car seat on sale said it had since been removed, although it is offered by a number of other outlets.
Hisense 50A7100FTUK television
Described by Which? as “absolutely abysmal”, with criticism of its poor motion control, dark contrast and a palette that skews too red, this TV is being sold by Argos for £249, down from £349.
A spokesperson said: “The Hisense 50A7100FTUK from Argos is not a Black Friday deal, it is a clearance item. It is not on the Black Friday deals 2022 section of the website, and we are not pushing it as a Black Friday deal.
“We regularly review our ranges and overall the Hisense range has received positive feedback from our customers.”
Hoover HBFUP 130 NKE freezer
Sold by Currys for £289, down from the original price of £369, but Which? said its tests found the appliance had an inconsistent temperature and is slow to freeze food, estimating it would cost households almost £50 extra a year to operate under the current energy price guarantee.
Criticised by Which? as energy inefficient and slow to refrigerate food, this product is reduced to £399 from £479 at AO.
AO also has a dishwasher – Hisense HV651D60UK – on sale for £379, down from £399. Which? said its filters were likely to need cleaning every third wash cycle, and that it was loud.
An AO spokesperson said: “The fridge-freezer named by Which? has been rated 4.8 stars out of 5 by over 400 of our customers, while the dishwasher also scores highly at 4.4 stars out of 5 with over 150 reviews.
“Which? is, of course, entitled to its own opinion, but our customer reviews from real families using these products speak for themselves.”
Fusion5 T90B+ Pro laptop
Singled out by Which? for “terrible performance and short-lived guaranteed security support”. It is on sale for £160 at Amazon, down from £200. Amazon did not supply a separate comment on this.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “Our research has found so-called Black Friday bargains that could end up being a big let-down and money down the drain for people who buy them.
“The cost of living crisis makes it even more important that people can make their money go further with savvy purchases in the sales. Only buy products if you really need them, and do your research, so you don’t end up with a certified dud.”
Several demonstrators have been detained after rival groups faced off over a hotel accommodating asylum seekers in north London, with police breaking up brief clashes.
The Metropolitan Police has since imposed conditions on the protest and counter-protest outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in Islington.
The protest was organised by local residents under the banner “Thistle Barbican needs to go – locals say no”.
The group of several hundred people waved union flags and banners, and one man chanted: “Get these scum off our streets.”
Image: Anti-immigration protesters waved Union Jack flags. Pic: PA
A larger group staged a counter demonstration to voice support for asylum seekers, bearing a banner that read: “Refugees are welcome.”
People inside the hotel, believed to be migrants, watched on, with some waving and blowing kisses from the windows.
More on Migrant Crossings
Related Topics:
Image: People believed to be asylum seekers waved the hotel windows. Pic: PA
Image: Pro-immigration protesters gathered by the Thistle City Barbican Hotel. Pic: PA
A man wearing an England football shirt was detained by police after getting into an altercation with officers.
There have been nine arrests so far, seven of which were for breaching conditions police put on the protests under the Public Order Act.
Rival groups separated by police
Another protest was scheduled in Newcastle on Saturday, outside The New Bridge Hotel, as anti-migrant sentiment ripples through some communities around the country, also flaring up recently in Epping.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
4:09
Last week: Protesters divided over migrant hotels
The counter-protest in London was organised by local branches of Stand Up To Racism, and supported by former Labour leader and Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn.
Other community groups including Finsbury Park Mosque and Islington Labour Party were also involved.
Groups online that backed the original protest include “Patriots of Britain” and “Together for the Children”.
At one point, a large group of masked protesters dressed in black, calling themselves anti-fascists, appeared from a side street and marched towards the rival group outside the hotel.
The two groups briefly clashed before police rushed in to separate them.
Image: Pic: PA
Image: Supporters of local protest group ‘Thistle Barbican needs to go – locals say no’. Pic: PA
Why are asylum hotels used?
The government is legally required to provide accommodation and subsistence to destitute asylum seekers while their claims are being decided, most of whom are prohibited from working.
A jump in the use of hotels since 2020 has been attributed to the impacts of the COVID pandemic, a backlog in unresolved asylum cases, and an increase in the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.
However, the number of asylum seekers living in hotels has fallen recently, from 38,079 at the end of 2024 to 32,345 at the end of March 2025, according to the Refugee Council.
How police tried to keep groups apart
The police imposed conditions on both groups in London to prevent “serious disorder” and minimise disruption to the community.
Those in the anti-asylum hotel protest were told to remain within King Charles Square, and to gather not before 1pm and wrap up by 4pm.
Those in the counter-protest were to required to stay in an area in Lever Street, and assemble only between 12pm and 4pm, but were still in eye and ear shot of the other group.
Chief Superintendent Clair Haynes, in charge of the policing operation, said: “We have been in discussions with the organisers of both protests in recent days, building on the ongoing engagement between local officers, community groups and partners.
“We understand that there are strongly held views on all sides.
“Our officers will police without fear or favour, ensuring those exercising their right to protest can do so safely, but intervening at the first sign of actions that cross the line into criminality.”
Meanwhile, the protest in Newcastle was promoted by online posts saying it was “for our children, for our future”.
The “stop the far right and fascists in Newcastle” counter-protest was organised by Stand Up To Racism at the nearby Laing Art Gallery.
A man has been remanded into custody charged with child cruelty offences after allegedly lacing sweets with sedatives.
Jon Ruben, 76, of Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Saturday after youngsters fell ill at a summer camp in Stathern, Leicestershire.
He has been charged with three counts of wilfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning or exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to health.
The charges relate to three boys at the camp between 25-29 July.
Image: The scene in Stathern, Leicestershire. Pic: PA
Ruben spoke only to confirm his name, age and address.
Police received a report of children feeling unwell at a camp being held at Stathern Lodge, near Melton in Leicestershire, last Sunday.
Officers said paramedics attended the scene and eight boys – aged between eight and 11 – were taken to hospital as a precaution, as was an adult. They have since been discharged.
Police said the “owners and operators of Stathern Lodge are independent from those people who use or hire the lodge and are not connected to the incident”.
Leicestershire Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, after officers initially reported the incident as having happened on Monday, only to later amend it to Sunday.
It is still unclear when officers responded and whether that is why the watchdog referral has been made.
Ruben will next appear at Leicester Crown Court on 29 August.
Addressing the City Academy Voices choir directly, the bishop of Fulham said: “I write to apologise for the distress and offence I caused in bringing the concert to a premature end.
“This should not have happened … I also apologise for remarks which were made in haste, and which have understandably caused hurt and distress.”
Image: The bishop, in his dressing gown, gave the choir a dressing down
Mr Baker had demanded for the performance to stop because it was 10pm – and says he didn’t realise the choir had booked the church until 11pm.
In the statement obtained by Sky News, he added: “I have lived here on site at St Andrew’s for 10 years, for much of which City Academy has rehearsed and performed here.
“You have been, and continue to be, welcome – and I hope that you will be able to continue the relationship with us.
More from UK
“I can give you every assurance that the events of Friday evening will not recur, and I apologise again to performers (especially those unable to perform at the end of the evening) and the audience alike.”
Image: The choir performed their last song
The choir was performing to a 300-strong audience in Holborn when the lights were suddenly turned off, with Mr Baker declaring the concert was “over”.
A church employee then asked the crowd to leave quietly and for the musicians to step down from the stage, attracting boos from the audience.
The choir went on to perform one last song, an A cappella version of ABBA’s Dancing Queen, before bringing their show to a close.
One member of the audience, who was attending with his 10-year-old daughter, told Sky News he initially thought the interruption was a staged joke.
Benedict Collins had told Sky News: “This work deserves respect, not to be disparaged as a ‘terrible racket’. The people here had put their heart and soul into it.
“The bishop cut them off in midstream, preventing soloists who had worked their hardest from singing – and preventing the audience, which included people of all ages, from enjoying it to the end.”
The choir told Sky News it was “upsetting” that they were unable to finish their show as planned, but “hold no hard feelings and wish the bishop well”.
A spokesperson added: “If anyone is thinking of joining one of our choirs, the City Academy Voices rehearse on Mondays in central London. Dressing gowns optional.”