Euro 2020 clean up will cost ‘millions’ as beer bottles and flags fill the streets
Research by waste collection experts, BusinessWaste.co.uk, has shown that the clean-up bill for Euro 2020 final celebrations will end up costing millions.
It has been estimated that the clean up after the Euro 2020 final could cost “millions” as beer bottles, flags and more are seen strewn on the streets.
It was a triumphant run to the final by a team that captured the hearts of the nation and brought people together after a tough 15 months, but millions right across the UK have woken up this morning to the reality that Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad couldn’t quite clinch the win to bring home England’s first international victory since 1966.
The weight of a crushing defeat isn’t the only thing we’ve woken up to though.
With shocking scenes of litter piling up on the streets of central London and other major UK cities having emerged on social media this morning, research by waste collection experts, BusinessWaste.co.uk, has shown that the clean-up bill for Euro 2020 final celebrations will end up costing millions of pounds.
As well as the countless images and videos found on social media and in media outlets, a short video by TikTok user H0rridhenryz has gone viral this morning, showing the sheer scale of the litter left behind on the streets of the capital.
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“This is disgusting,” the video explained.
It was predicted prior to kick-off that local councils would struggle with the excess waste generated by fans, particularly by groups of people using public spaces to celebrate without being mindful of the costs of cleaning up afterwards.
“It’s understandable that people wanted to have a few drinks,” said Mark Hall, Communications Director at BusinessWaste.co.uk, “but the cost of cleaning these areas can really stretch waste management budgets.
“It has a real knock-on effect for local authorities.”
Bars and pubs are too struggling with the excess waste generated by football fans, with some venues having reported as much as four times the amount of their usual weekly waste.
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According to BusinessWaste.co.uk, last night alone, England will of discarded:
150,000 plastic pint glasses
200,000 kebab and takeaway trays
100,000 pizza boxes
150,000 England flags
One million glass bottles
With the game going to extra time and penalties, this also meant that an extra £10,000 would have been added to each local council’s street cleaning bill – as anxious fans grabbed a few more drinks and a takeaway to settle their nerves.
Mark Hall continue: “As a nation, we were all looking forward to watching England play in the final – however, it won’t just be fans waking up with a hangover today.
“Companies, waste collection teams and local councils will also have a costly environmental hangover to deal with.”
Featured Image – Twitter
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Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.
Featured Image – GMP
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More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”