A local grandmother was left “mortified” after a £100 deposit charged for buying fuel at the pump left her with just £3 in her bank account.
The Lancashire Telegraph reports that Deborah Karim purchased £20 worth of fuel from Sainsbury’s petrol station on Trinity Street in Bolton on Wednesday 28 July – a service that requires a deposit.
As Ms Karim is disabled, she usually chooses to pay at the pump, but in this instance found that the £100 deposit taken from her account was not immediately refunded.
The deposit was instead returned on Friday morning – around 36 hours later.
With no prior warning or indication the money would not be refunded immediately, the 60-year-old was left with just £3 in her bank account.
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Ms Karim’s £100 deposit was returned to her account nearly two days after she purchased fuel / Credit: Freepik
“I couldn’t believe it when I found out,” Ms Karim told the Lancashire Telegraph.
“I didn’t see any signs to warn you about it and there was no notification.
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“Usually they return the deposit to you immediately, but the money wasn’t back in my account for another 36 hours.
“I had no idea that they could take your money for this long, I was mortified.
“I actually cried my heart out as it’s incredibly worrying – when you’re on a low income this really impacts you.”
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Sainsbury’s has joined Tesco in charging drivers up to £100 deposit fees to use Pay at Pump / Credit: Visa
The system requires you to pay a deposit before filling your tank with fuel, with your bank/credit card holding this money until the actual amount you paid is debited.
Following complaints from several customers regarding the new deposit scheme, Andrew Cregan – Payments Policy Advisor at the British Retail Consortium – said: “Banks must raise customer awareness on the changes and address their concerns.
“They must take responsibility for the change by dealing with customer complaints on social media and contact centres and they must enhance their banking apps which are currently slow to update the transactions and can cause financial distress.”
Featured Image – Google Maps
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Chester Zoo is hiring a new keeper to look after its ‘birds and bees’
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo is currently hiring someone to look after its ‘birds and bees’, and you can get your applications in the for role now.
If you’re after a career change in 2026, then surely it doesn’t get much better than this?
The UK’s biggest charity zoo currently has a vacancy open for a Keeper to join the Invertebrates team, and for the right candidate, this offers a fantastic opportunity to work as part of the wider Ectotherms department – with a focus on native species conservation.
Chester Zoo is responsible for one of Europe’s largest and most-diverse animal communities, and this is your chance to be a part of what makes it so special.
For this full-time role, the zoo is looking for an ‘enthusiastic, dynamic, and motivated’ individual to provide extensive knowledge and proven expertise in caring for and managing all the native invertebrate species that live there.
The ideal candidate for this job will have a HND or degree level qualification in a zoological related science or equivalent experience, and have ‘outstanding’ observational skills and attention to detail, as well as be committed to ensuring the highest possible standards of animal health and welfare are met.
The role of ‘Keeper – Invertebrates’ is 40 hours per week on a 12-month Fixed Term basis, with the working week being 10 days out of 14, including weekends and bank holidays as rostered, and the salary being £25,500 per annum.
Working at Chester Zoo comes with an ‘excellent benefits package’ and loads of perks too, including a generous pension scheme, 33 days paid holidays per year, a healthcare plan, pension scheme, a staff pass so you can visit the zoo for free, and complimentary tickets for friends and family.
Think you’re fit for the job? The closing date for applications is 22 November 2026, and you can find out more and apply for the role here.
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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Appeal for information after serious bus-cyclist collision on Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
Police have launched an appeal for information following a serious road traffic collision on Deansgate, which has left a cyclist in critical condition.
Yesterday afternoon reports were made of a crash between a cyclist and a bus on the busy street in Manchester city centre.
The cyclist, who is a man in his 80s, has suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash, and remains in hospital in critical condition.
The crash took place on the junction of Bridge Street and Deansgate at around 12.30pm on Monday 2 November.
A large cordon was in place and Deansgate closed for several hours yesterday.
Police officers are now appealing for any witnesses who may have seen the moments leading up to this incident, or may have mobile phone or dashcam footage, to come forward.
No arrests have been made.
Anyone with information can contact police on 0161 856 4741 quoting the log number 1510 of 02.11.26. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd August 2021 
