Cold weather Q&A: Experts answer your questions

Published

2 years ago

December 10, 2022

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Eye-watering energy price rises have left millions of people worried about the cost of turning on their heating as sub-zero temperatures hit Britain this winter.

Sky News presenter Jonathan Samuels is joined by a panel to answer viewers’ questions. The experts are: GP Dr Helen Salisbury; personal finance expert Jasmine Birtles; and Helen Barnard from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a charity which conducts and funds research aimed at ending poverty in Britain.

What’s your advice to vulnerable people who are really concerned about the cost of heating their homes?

Dr Helen Salisbury: It’s a really, really difficult time, but it’s important to remember that being in a cold home is actually not good for your health at all.

So we recommend that you keep the room that you’re in at about 18C, particularly if you’re over 65, particularly if you have mobility problems.

Ideally get up and move around every hour-or-so, because if you’re sitting still, you’re more likely to get cold.

What are the best settings to use for central heating to heat your home? Is it better to have a timer on and have big bursts at those moments in the day when you really need it, or is it better to perhaps have it on a lower setting, but keep it on all day?

Jasmine Birtles: This has come up a lot recently. I checked with the Energy Savings Trust and they said it’s better to do it here and there, as and when you need it, not have it on all the time.

I have it on for an hour-or-so and once it’s sort of warmed up a bit I’ve got my jumpers on, layers, sheepskin boots, sheepskin and wool are the best ways of staying warm.

Another thing that I have is a heated overblanket. That means that, frankly it doesn’t matter what’s happening in the rest of the room – you’re warm.

We know the government is helping, and there have been lots of headlines recently… but just remind us what help is available?

Helen Barnard: There has been help, there have been the cost-of-living packages with one-off grants and so on.

When we get to next April there will be a significant rise in benefits, but there isn’t more help coming this winter.

We’ve just done new research and we’ve found that three million low-income households can’t afford to heat their homes and actually 2.5 million can’t afford to eat properly or heat their homes.

So all the things the health experts are telling people to do – to have hot drinks, to keep the room warm – people simply can’t afford to do those things because the support is just inadequate to meet the situation we are in.

If I can’t afford to turn on the heating are there places I can go – especially if there are power cuts this winter?

Helen Barnard: There are quite a lot of people in communities who have started doing “warm hubs” so it’s worth looking on your local community page. I’ve heard there are some bakers actually, because they have got their ovens on all the time, who are opening up rooms.

But there is actually quite a lot of financial support some people may not be getting, so an awful lot of people don’t claim the benefits they could, and that would really help.

It’s worth going on to a website like the Turn 2 Us charity where you can do a benefit check and there is also a tool where you can find local grants.

The other thing is to talk to your energy supplier – they are legally obliged to help you come to a solution if you’re struggling to pay the bills.

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People get very scared and they don’t want to ask for help. This is a moment to absolutely ask for help, ask local charities, local authorities, and your energy supplier.

Cost of living calendar – reveal a different story every day

One thing people really worry about is being cut off – can you reassure people that won’t happen?

Jasmine Birtles: Yes, it won’t happen – particularly if you are on a contract, a direct debit.

Of course if you are on a pay-as-you-go meter then obviously if you are paying it, it’s not going to come out.

But if you are on direct debit, or if you are supposed to be on a contract and you can’t pay, they are not going to cut you off. However, those debts will mount.

Actually, a lot of them do have money to help. It tends to be one-off payments, but all the major energy suppliers they have, frankly, a few hundred pounds to give in certain circumstances if you qualify, so go first to your supplier and, as Helen says, try Turn 2 Us.

Also, try your local council. Some local councils – not all – have some discretionary money they use to help people who are suffering.

And if I can just add to what Helen said about the warm hubs, there is a website called warmwelcome.uk, which has a really helpful map of the UK, with all the various warm hubs that they are aware of, and I think more are being added.

Dr Helen, what are your patients telling you? I’m sure you have seen people who have come to you in a real state, because it is not just your physical wellbeing but it is your mental wellbeing as well?

Absolutely, and people are very worried. And I think sometimes it is the fear that is so harmful to their health. They are thinking about looking after themselves, they are thinking about looking after their families.

I would quite like to add that there has been lots of talk here about going on websites, but a lot of people might not have that capacity, they might not be people who use sites on their mobile phones, they might not have mobile phones.

I think we also need to think about our neighbours, our friends, elderly people we know might need checking up on, just to make sure they have turned their heating on and they are not sitting there scared of the bills and not turning on the heating.

Being in too cold of an environment really increases your risk of strokes and heart attacks and it is just not worth it, so we need to be checking up on people and unfortunately sometimes we may get bills much higher than wanted, but we do need to keep warm.

People with underlying health conditions need to be careful in cold weather, don’t they?

Dr Helen Salisbury: Absolutely, and partly that is about being unable to move about, but also you have lung diseases like COPD, that makes them more vulnerable and you are more likely to get inflections like flu and probably COVID-19 too, so you are less likely to be able to fight things off if you are cold and breathe in cold air.

The other thing that is quite worrying is people who are reliant on electricity for aids around the home for medical machinery, I think that is a real concern for some people with prices going so high.

Is it better to have a smart meter? If you don’t should you be taking regular meter readings?

Jasmine Birtles: There are two schools of thought with this.

On the one hand smart meters can be useful, particularly as a number of energy companies have apps that work with them. For example, there is one called Ivy Bud and you can find out how much you are using, when you are using it. You can also find out which appliances are using more than others.

But I’m hearing quite a number of people who are rather concerned about control – a lot of their information being known by goodness knows who.

If you are not keen on having a smart meter, I think it is a good idea to take some meter readings, once a month, so you are clear how much you are using and if you are not sure about your bills, or you don’t think the bills and readings match, you can complain to your supplier.

What are the benefits of having a smart meter?

Jasmine Birtles: You can see what you’re using quite quickly, you can connect it to various apps and gizmos that will give you more control and knowledge of what you are using in real time.

You can look at one of these apps or one of these gizmos and it will say you are using up a lot of electricity and you will find you have left the iron on or something like that, so that’s useful.

But primarily it is useful to the energy company.

Energy companies tell me that smart meters enable them to see when people are using electricity and that means they can sort out the grid better and have less wastage. So I would say it is useful to the companies and the country as a whole, rather than individuals.

What is being done for homeless people?

Helen Barnard: “Of course, we have got local authorities who are re-upping their policies to try and get people in during these very cold nights. But of course we have a problem in that we don’t have enough affordable homes, so what we often find is that people are brought in for a night or two and then finding themselves a sustainable place to live is very difficult.

I do think we need to be slightly careful because some of the advice we are giving to use apps can ring quite hollow for people who are out there who simply don’t have the money to turn the lights on, turn the heating on.

I think we need to get to grips with the fact that we have allowed our basic social security to fail so woefully.

UK

Premier League clubs at risk of legal action over unlicensed casino sponsors

Published

7 hours ago

May 25, 2025

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Premier League clubs at risk of legal action over unlicensed casino sponsors

Casinos sponsoring two Premier League clubs are accepting UK customers without a licence, putting club officers at risk of prosecution, Sky News has learned.

The gambling websites, BC.Game and DEBET, are the matchday shirt sponsors of Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, respectively.

But an investigation by anti-gambling advert campaigners, shared with Sky News, suggests the casinos have continued to accept UK customers – despite this becoming unlawful after they lost their licences to operate in the UK.

DEBET lost its licence on 15 May, while BC.Game lost its licence in December 2024.

Neither club has indicated that they intend to end the sponsorships, despite criticism from campaigners and warnings from the Gambling Commission.

With the end of the 2024/25 season this weekend, both clubs are now half-way through two-year sponsorship deals with the casinos – putting them in a difficult position for next season.

The campaign group Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA) told Sky News it was able to make deposits on both gambling websites, despite the sites having no licence to accept UK customers.

CEGA also successfully deposited cash on Burnley FC sponsor 96.com. Burnley are due to be promoted to the Premier League next season.

The findings come one week after the Gambling Commission warned five football clubs, including Wolverhampton and Burnley, that their officers “may be liable to prosecution and, if convicted, face a fine, imprisonment or both if they promote unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with consumers in Great Britain”.

The Commission had issued a similar warning to Leicester City in February.

It made clear then that the clubs must either cut ties with the casinos or ensure they are not accessible to UK customers “by any means” – including virtual private networks (VPNs) – software used to hide a user’s real location.

Other than the need to use a VPN, CEGA director Will Prochaska says it “really wasn’t very difficult” to access the sites.

The Gambling Commission declined to be interviewed by Sky News, but said that “where we have evidence that meets the standard for criminal prosecution we will take appropriate action”.

Head of enforcement at the Commission John Pierce previously said the body would “conduct ongoing spot checks as necessary to ensure they are not accessible to consumers in Great Britain by any means”.

Mr Prochaska, however, said the Commission was taking “far too long” to take action.

“Far too many children, far too many football fans, are seeing these adverts every day,” he said. “It’s got to stop.”

Leicester City’s sponsor has had no UK licence for almost six months

The three sites that appear on the matchday shirts of Leicester, Wolves and Burnley were previously licensed by TGP Europe, a company based on the Isle of Man.

On 15 May, TGP Europe surrendered its UK gambling licence to avoid a £3.3m fine, leaving DEBET and 96.com unable to legally accept UK customers.

Leicester City sponsor BC.Game has been unlicensed in the UK since it parted ways with TGP Europe in December 2024 – almost six months ago.

Mr Prochaska said he contacted Leicester City on 13 March to alert them that BC.Game was still accepting UK customers.

“In fact, it was one of the easiest for me to gamble on – there were very few checks whatsoever,” he says. “But Leicester don’t seem to have done anything about it, and it’s still on the front of their shirts.”

Leicester City FC did not respond to a request for comment.

Sky News was able to sign up to every single site

Bournemouth, Fulham and Newcastle United are also sponsored by casinos that were formerly licensed by TGP Europe, but have been unlicensed since 15 May.

These casinos (bj88, SBOTOP and FUN88) are no longer able to legally accept UK customers.

However, Sky News was able to use a VPN to sign up to all three casinos, as well as those sponsoring Leicester City, Wolverhampton and Burnley.

On all six websites, Sky was able to access QR codes for making cryptocurrency deposits. Sky News did not attempt to make any deposits.

All six casinos are forbidden by law from accepting UK customers.

Yet Burnley sponsor 96.com allowed Sky News to sign up using a Telegram account registered to a UK phone number.

The other websites all required phone numbers to be entered upon registration, which could be used as an additional layer of security to filter out UK customers.

However, most of the websites did not check whether the phone number provided was genuine.

Only one website, Leicester City sponsor BC.Game, did check.

However, after confirming the phone number’s authenticity, BC.Game allowed registration to proceed – even though Sky News had provided a UK phone number.

Sky News presented these findings to the football clubs concerned, to TGP Europe and to the Gambling Commission, but did not receive any comment.

Anyone concerned about their gambling, or that of a loved one, can visit BeGambleAware.org for free, confidential advice and support, or The National Gambling Helpline is available on 0808 8020 133 and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

UK

Former BBC executive and presenter Alan Yentob dies

Published

7 hours ago

May 25, 2025

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Former BBC executive and presenter Alan Yentob dies

Alan Yentob, the former BBC presenter and executive, has died aged 78.

A statement from his family, shared by the BBC, said Yentob died on Saturday.

His wife Philippa Walker said: “For Jacob, Bella and I, every day with Alan held the promise of something unexpected. Our life was exciting, he was exciting.

“He was curious, funny, annoying, late, and creative in every cell of his body. But more than that, he was the kindest of men and a profoundly moral man. He leaves in his wake a trail of love a mile wide.”

Yentob joined the BBC as a trainee in 1968 and held a number of positions – including controller of BBC One and BBC Two, director of television, and head of music and art.

He was also the director of BBC drama, entertainment, and children’s TV.

Yentob launched CBBC and CBeebies, and his drama commissions included Pride And Prejudice and Middlemarch.

The TV executive was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the King in 2024 for services to the arts and media.

In a tribute, the BBC’s director-general Tim Davie said: “Alan Yentob was a towering figure in British broadcasting and the arts. A creative force and a cultural visionary, he shaped decades of programming at the BBC and beyond, with a passion for storytelling and public service that leave a lasting legacy.

“Above all, Alan was a true original. His passion wasn’t performative – it was personal. He believed in the power of culture to enrich, challenge and connect us.”

BBC Radio 4 presenter Amol Rajan described him on Instagram as “such a unique and kind man: an improbable impresario from unlikely origins who became a towering figure in the culture of post-war Britain.

“I commend his spirit to the living.”

UK

Mother and three children who died in house fire in London named by police

Published

8 hours ago

May 25, 2025

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Mother and three children who died in house fire in London named by police

A mother and three of her children who died in a house fire in northwest London have been named by police.

Warning: This article contains pictures of a fire in which people died

Detectives say Nusrat Usman, 43, Maryam Mikaiel, 15, Musa Usman, eight, and Raees Usman, four, died following the fire in Stonebridge, near Wembley, in the early hours of Saturday.

A woman in her 70s was taken to hospital but has since been released. A 13-year-old girl remains in hospital in a critical condition.

A 41-year-old man was arrested at the scene and has since been bailed. He was subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act.

Flowers and a blue teddy bear have been left near the scene, where crews wearing helmets and respiratory equipment were seen building scaffolding against the burnt-out buildings.

Neighbour Cecilia Marquis, 60, said she was “stunned by the devastation”.

“This will leave a devastating impact,” Ms Marquis, who witnessed the fire, said.

Witness Mohamed Labidi, 38, said he “can’t even look at the house right now”.

“We used to socialise together.

“They’re very good people, no problems on their side at all. It’s really shocking. It’s a really strong community here, we look after each other.”

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s horrible, we saw people running outside.

“It’s hard to process. I only just moved in, so it’s hard to think about it.”

Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters responded to the blaze, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.

Two terrace houses, each with three floors, were severely damaged in the fire, which was under control by around 3.25am, the fire service added.

Superintendent Steve Allen, from the Met’s local policing team in northwest London, said: “Our thoughts go out to all those impacted by what has happened.

“Specialist officers are continuing to support the wider family who have asked for privacy at this deeply upsetting time.

“Local officers are working closely with officers from the Specialist Crime Command on what continues to be a very complex investigation.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a post on X: “This is devastating news and my thoughts are with the family, friends and wider community of the four people who sadly have lost their lives.

“I remain in close contact with the London Fire Brigade and Metropolitan Police as they work to establish the cause of the fire and offer support to all those impacted.”

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