A new ‘right to repair’ law comes into force today, making a range of home appliances such as fridges, washing machines, and televisions cheaper to run.
The average consumer could now save around £75 under the new efficiency rules.
The government says the new ‘right to repair’ law on electrical products will tackle “premature obsolescence” – a short lifespan deliberately built into an appliance by manufacturers which leads to unnecessary and costly replacements for the consumer.
For the first time ever, manufacturers are now legally obliged to make spare parts for products available to consumers so that electrical appliances can be fixed easily.
It means that anyone buying white goods or televisions in shops or online can rest assured that if anything breaks outside of their warranty, spare parts will be available for them to get the appliance repaired.
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Not only will the change mean energy bill savings of £75 on average, the government says it will also tackle the 1.5 million tonnes of electrical waste that’s generated in the UK every year.
Changes are estimated to extend the lifespan of products by up to 10 years.
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The government says the new law on electrical products will tackle “premature obsolescence” / Credit: Flickr
Here’s the items the new rules apply to:
Refrigerators
Washing machines
Dishwashers
Electronic displays (including televisions)
Light sources and separate control gears
External power suppliers
Electric motors
Refrigerators with a direct sales function (e.g – fridges in supermarkets, vending machines for cold drinks)
Power transformers
Welding equipment
Consumers will still need to be within warranty or guarantee to get the repairs free of charge.
Those who are out of this period will most likely need to pay a professional or the manufacturer itself to fix the item, but in the past, the complexity of repairing these goods meant that it was often more cost-effective to buy a new one.
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Now, consumers could save hundreds by simply fixing the broken part instead, and even with repair fees, this could work out cheaper than buying an entirely new product.
The introduction of the law follows on from new energy labels that were introduced on 1 March to help consumers find out the electrical efficiency of their appliance.
Speaking on the introduction of the new law, Anne Marie Trevelyan – Minister of State for Energy – said: “The tougher standards coming in today will ensure more of our electrical goods can be fixed rather than have to be thrown away when they stop working, putting more money back in the pockets of consumers, as we build back greener.”
Environmental expert Libby Peake – Head of Resource Policy at Green Alliance – said that the new regulations “represent a small, first step towards giving people the long-lasting repairable products they want”.
However she said it was not accurate to say the new rules create a “legal right to repair”.
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“The government hasn’t given consumers any such right, as the spare parts and repairability criteria are only directed at professional repairers, not at the people who own products,” she said.
“There is also no guarantee that spare parts and repair services will be affordable, so considerable barriers remain to making this the easiest, default option.”
UK News
You can now get a Pot Noodle as part of your Tesco meal deal
Danny Jones
If you ask us, a big key to a happy life is all about celebrating the little wins as much as possible and in this case, when we heard that you can now get a Pot Noodle as part of your Tesco meal deal, we nearly did a cartwheel.
Are we exaggerating? Only a little bit, to be fair. Is this still kind of a big deal (pardon the pun) for the millions of Brits whose lunchtime meal regularly consists of a Tesco butty, beverage and perhaps some crisps? We think so.
We only heard the joyous news through word of mouth, but it looks as though the rumours are true after being not-so-quietly confirmed via the official Pot Noodle social media channels last week, revealing that you can indeed get your flavour of choice as part of your meal deal.
That really is the headline here, let’s be honest; the fact that you can now get a Pot Noodle – something many people have for their tea or a more than satisfying late-night snack – as the bonus side along with your main item at Tesco it an absolute result.
With meal deal prices having steadily crept up across the nation over recent years, no matter which supermarket, Tesco Extra, Asda Express, Sainsbury’s Local, convenience store and so on you seem to look in, getting an extra bit of value for money like is a big win for those on a quick dinner dash.
This is just like when we figured out you could get a proper Ginsters sausage roll, Cornish pasty or steak/chicken slice as your snack too. Just as buzzing then as we are now.
The brand also recently revealed what the UK’s most popular meal choices were last year, and some of the selections might surprise you.
Once again, it’s all about enjoying the little things, and put it this way, if we’re overreacting, then so are plenty of others.
Now accepting donations so One Drunk Redneck can get to the #UK and experience a #Tesco meal deal. I only need to raise enough for a one way ticket. I'm not too worried about how I'd get back home.
Oh, I probably should take my spouse. Ok, enough for two, one way tickets.
The only slight downside is that right now, as you might have spotted in the Instagram post above, this offer has only been rolled out at select Tescos.
As for those in Greater Manchester, there are just two local shops: the Tesco Extra in Walkden in Salford, as well as the Extra on Huddersfield Road in Bolton; the next closest after that is Warrington.
Nevertheless, you would expect that if the popularity of this new deal takes off – Tesco’s lunchtime package being one of the most popular in Britain – it’s likely that they will expand their plans up and down the country at large.
Speaking on the launch in an official press release, Pot Noodle’s senior brand Madeleine Boulton said: “We know our fans are always looking to get the most bang for their buck, so our move into the Tesco Meal Deal as a side is our way of giving customers the ultimate ‘snackisfaction’ and for some, the perfect hack that will ensure their meal deal sees them through the day.”
Can’t lie, we do rather fancy a Bombay Bad Boy now.
Stephen Graham sheds light on the ‘possibility’ of a second season of Adolescence
Danny Jones
Pretty much everyone has been getting through the incredible yet harrowing experience of watching Adolescence on Netflix this month, and though it may have seemed unlikely at first, series star Stephen Graham recently discussed the possibility of a second season.
For those who aren’t aware, it was never expected that the four-part limited series surrounding a young boy accused of a violent crime would be the global phenomenon it has been, nor was it hoping to secure a deal for another season: the whole point of the show was to tell a powerful but self-contained story.
However, with it becoming the most-watched thing on the platform in just four days – not to mention notching all manner of streaming records – it’s no surprise that the suggestion of capitalising on its smash hit success has come up.
Many feel the kind of narrative it tells is so important that the idea should at least be explored.
“You throw the stone into a pond and this ripple effect has been huge… But we never meant it to have this impact, we just wanted to tell a truthful and honest story.” Co-writer and actor Stephen Graham reflects on his powerful new Netflix series Adolescence, which explores… pic.twitter.com/aO3JKNYH16
Speaking in a recent interview with Variety, co-creator and lead Graham sat down with his wife Hannah Walters, who also helped write and produce the show, to discuss the reaction
When asked quite simply if any discussions have been had about an Adolescence season two, while it sounds like there’s nothing official yet, he didn’t dismiss the concept outright.
“Possibly, let’s see how the figures are, but yeah, there’s the possibility of developing another story”, says the 51-year-old from Kirkby.
It might not be much to go as yet; however, just knowing that there’s room to tell another chapter is good enough – especially given the “smirk” the 51-year-old is said to have responded with during his answer.
Many fans thought the chances of a second series had been dashed early doors after fellow co-creator Jack Thorne recently went on This Morning and dismissed the potential pretty much altogether.
In his words: “I don’t think we’re the right people to tell Katie’s story […] I think there are other makers out there that could tell beautiful dramas about Katie or girls like Katie [the victim in the show], and that those shows should be made.”
That being said, just because he doesn’t sound like he’d be involved will an Adolescence sequel, it doesn’t mean Graham might not be.
The impact of the show, especially here in the UK, cannot be overstated and not just because of the cross-generational viewing figures.
Fellow Adolescence actor Jo Hartley, who was born down the road in Oldham, joined countless celebrities in waxing lyrical over the importance of the show following what she called an “overwhelming” reaction in just the first few days.
In fact, the shockwaves it sent across Britain and beyond have been so strong that the writers have even been invited to Parliament to discuss the series’ themes and how to help tackle them better.
The Manc -
1st July 2021 
