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British Airways issues urgent warning to millions of holidaymakers as M25 hit with string of closures

ONE of Britain’s biggest airlines have issued an urgent warning ahead of the March holiday surge. 

British Airways have warned that holidaymakers travelling from Gatwick or Heathrow will need to consider the upcoming major M25 disruptions.

Heavy traffic jam on a highway.
The M25 will face eight days of disruption in March
Simon Jones - The Sun
British Airways plane at the gate.
British Airways have advised travellers to plan ahead
Alamy

The M25 closures could take place over eight days in March. 

The motorway will be closed between Junction 10 and Junction 11 in both directions on March 7 until March 10.

It will close again, at the same junction, from March 21 until March 24.

Closures will begin at 9pm on each Friday and will end at 6am on each Monday.

The J10 slip roads will also be closed between February 21-24, as National Highways removes old bridges in the area.

They will also be installing structures for pedestrians, horse-riders and cyclists as well as a corridor for wildlife.

The string of closures have sparked fears that hundreds of Brits could miss their flights over those busy weekends.

Ahead of the closures, BA said: We strongly advise you to plan your journey in advance and allow for extra time to reach the airport.

They added:  “A diversion will be in place but please allow extra time and plan ahead for your journey to the airport.”

The closures are due to a planned effort to remove old bridges over the road. 

However, National Highways have announced that there will be further closures on our roads throughout the Spring. 

The A3 will be closed in both directions from April 11 to 14, between Junction 10 and Cobham Roundabout. 

The upcoming disruptions come as after Heathrow hiked its drop off charge from £5 to £6 on January 1. 

However, drivers are able to use the airport’s long stay car park free of charge for thirty minutes. 

Heathrow also made headline news in February after the Labour government committed to building a third runway in a bid to kickstart economic growth. 

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said: “I want spades in the ground. 

“I want people to see in their areas, things happening, growth happening, their children and their grandchildren in the future having the opportunity to work in high-skilled high-paid jobs contributing to the economy with more money in their pockets.”

She added that she hopes “sustainable aviation fuel” would help cut the increased emissions, which will be caused by the bigger influx of planes at Heathrow. 

M25 Spring Closures

The M25 - Britain’s busiest motorway - will face closures over the Spring.

As this will throw journeys into chaos, find out which junctions will be closing here. 

February 21-February 24

The J10 entry and exit slip roads will be closed between February 21-February 24.

Drivers will be able to travel on the M25 through the junction, but will not be able to rejoin. 

7-10 March and 21-24 March

J10 will be closed in both directions on 7-10 March and 21-24 March. 

Closures will begin at 9pm on each Friday and the roads will reopen at 6am each Monday. 

11-14 April

The A3 Northbound will be closed between J10 and the Cobham Roundabout between 11-14 April. 

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Swansea part company with Luke Williams after horror run but fans left fuming at choice of caretaker manager

SWANSEA have sacked manager Luke Williams.

The move comes with the club 17th in the Championship and after a horror run of seven defeats on the spin.

Luke Williams, manager of Swansea City.
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Swansea have sacked manager Luke Williams after a seven-game losing run[/caption]

A club statement said: “Swansea City can confirm the club has parted ways with head coach Luke Williams.

“Assistant head coach Ryan Harley and first-team coach analyst George Lawtey have also left the club with immediate effect.”

Williams departs the Swans after 13 months in charge.

Following a 3-1 defeat to Stoke over the weekend – in which Lewis Baker scored from inside his own half – Swansea are only eight points clear of the bottom three.

Swansea chairman Andy Coleman said: “This was a difficult decision and one that has not been taken lightly. Luke has led the club through some challenging periods and we appreciate his hard work.

“I am aware of the effort he and his staff have put in throughout the last 13 months for Swansea City.

“I want to personally thank Luke, Ryan and George for their dedication and the sacrifices they have made on behalf of the club.

“Unfortunately, since the turn of the year our performances and results have not been of the standard required at this level.

“Ultimately, that has led us to conclude a change is required in order to bring about an improvement in our showings on the pitch.”

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Anton Ferdinand breaks silence on Dancing on Ice backlash as trolls argue he ‘doesn’t deserve’ to be in the competition

ANTON Ferdinand has shrugged off backlash from trolls who are targeting him on Dancing on Ice.

The former footballer, 39, has faced criticism for still being in the competition after former fan favourites were sent home.

Anton Ferdinand and Annette Dytrt on Dancing on Ice.
Anton Ferdinand and his Dancing on Ice partner Annette Dytrt
Eroteme
Charlie Brooks and Eric Radford embracing on the ice after an ice skating performance.
Rex
Charlie Brooks left the competiton at the end of Sunday night’s show[/caption]

Novice skater Anton finished in second place on the leaderboard on Sunday night in joint place with The Traitors star Mollie King, just behind Towie’s Dan Edgar.

It led to vicious tweets on X, with one viewer saying: “Can we just skip the skate off? The judges already know exactly who they’re sending home. Anton could fall on his a**e through the ice and they’d still save him.”

Another added: “Are the judges blind? They voted the best skaters out. Anton was like a wooden plank on the ice same as last week.”

Despite fears he’s been struggling behind the scenes, Anton’s rep insisted: “He is focused on the Dancing on Ice journey, he’s loved every minute.

“The comments aren’t fazing him, he’s faced much worse over the years during playing in the Premier League.”

Anton went up against Charlie during last night’s skate-off.

After both performing their routine again, it was down to the judging panel – Jayne TorvillChristopher DeanOti Mabuse and Ashley Banjo – to have their say on who should be going home next.

Ashley, Oti and Jayne opted to eliminate Charlie meaning that no vote from Chris was required.

As this week’s head judge, he had the responsibility of making the casting vote and although it was not required, he insisted that he would have voted to axe Charlie as well.

Alongside Charlie, Chelsee Healey, Josh Jones, Ferne McCann, Steve Redgrave and Chris Taylor have all left the competition so far.

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Major UK bank to give customers £175 free cash direct to account in new switch offer

FREE cash is up for grabs for both new and existing customers by making one simple switch.

The £175 could be banked by anyone willing to switch their current account but they will need to be quick as the offer ends in just weeks.

Lloyds Bank sign with logo.
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Lloyds Bank is offering new customers £175 in free cash[/caption]

Lloyds Bank is offering the cash to punters who switch from another bank to a Club Lloyds account.

If they do so from tomorrow until April 1, they can scoop the cash which will be wired to your account within 72 hours.

As well as the cash, new customers will also benefit from a handful of other welcome perks.

These include a 12-month subscription to Disney+, or a choice of six Vue or Odeon cinema tickets, a magazine subscription, or a digital Coffee Club and Gourmet Society membership.

The former would otherwise set customers back £60 a year.

Meanwhile, cinema stubs can be expensive too, with movie fans forking out between £5.99 and £13.99 depending on the ticket and location.

There is also the possibility of earning up to £90 in credit interest each year.

Lloyds pays 1.5 per cent on anything up to £4,000 and then pays 3 per cent on balances between £4,000 and £5,000.

At the moment there’s a monthly fee of £3, but this is waived if you deposit £2,000 or more into the account each month.

However, from June 2, this fee will rise to £5 per month, potentially adding up to £24 more per year for those who do not meet the £2,000 monthly deposit requirement.

“Customers can also take advantage of Everyday Offers, providing cashback when shopping at select retailers and it’s easy to sign up to Save the Change when using a debit card,” the bank said. 

“The service works by rounding the spend to the nearest pound and transferring the change to a nominated savings account.

“The Lloyds app also makes everyday banking on the go easy – customers can access a range of features including card controls, subscription management and checking credit health, with the app using the latest tech to keep customers and their money safe.”

Andrew Hagger, a personal finance expert at Moneycomms added: “On the face of it, the list of benefits looks impressive.

“As long as you meet the £2,000 monthly income criteria to avoid the £5 monthly fee, then it looks a decent deal. 

“The Club Lloyds Platinum and Club Lloyds Silver are packaged bank accounts and come with monthly fees of £22.50 and £11.50 respectively – just make sure you’ll make good use of the benefits on offer with these accounts otherwise it may not work out good value.

How do I switch bank accounts?

SWITCHING bank accounts is a simple process and can usually be done through the Current Account Switch Service (CASS).

Dozens of high street banks and building societies are signed up – there’s a full list on CASS’ website.

Under the switching service, swapping banks should take seven working days.

You don’t have to remember to move direct debits across when moving, as this is done for you.

All you have to do is apply for the new account you want, and the new bank will tell your existing one you’re moving.

There are a few things you can do before switching though, including choosing your switch date and transferring any old bank statements to your new account.

You should get in touch with your existing bank for any old statements.

When switching current accounts, consider what other perks might come with joining a specific bank or building society.

Some banks offer 0% overdrafts up to a certain limit, and others might offer better rates on savings accounts.

And some banks offer free travel or mobile phone insurance with their current accounts – but these accounts might come with a monthly fee.

“If you’re someone who goes overdrawn from time to time you may be better off looking at First Direct – also offering £175 switch incentive and 7 per cent regular saver.  

“With First Direct the first £250 in overdraft is interest free whereas Lloyds charges up to 49.9 per cent depending on your credit record.”

Banks often offer incentives to attract new customers, usually in the form of a cash bonus.

And it’s not the only one offering a bonus right now.

First Direct is also offering a £175 welcome bonus to new customers for example.

Nationwide has a £175 offer and TSB is giving out £100.

Santander was offering £150, but that has now ended.

Deals like this come and go regularly so its worth moving quickly if you think it’s for you, as they can be pulled at any time.

 

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Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel: Start time, TV channel, live stream, undercard for clash on Beterbiev vs Bivol 2 card

ZHILEI ZHANG and Agit Kabayel meet in a HUGE clash for the vacant WBC heavyweight championship in Saudi Arabia.

Zhang comes into this bout off the back of another huge win in Saudi Arabia, against Deontay Wilder in June last year.

two boxers are fighting in a ring with a banner that says ' o'reilly ' on it
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Zhilei Zhang (left) looks to build momentum after beating Deontay Wilder[/caption]
Zhilei Zhang and Agit Kabayel at a press conference.
PA
Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel both look to win the WBC heavyweight championship[/caption]

Kabayel is yet to be defeated as a professional fighter, but his last five fights have been over a period almost two years longer than Zhang’s last five.

The pair come into this fight as serious players in the heavyweight scene.

When is Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel?

  • Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel is set to take place on Saturday, February 22.
  • The fight is expected to start between 6-7pm GMT.
  • Zhang and Kabayel are on the undercard of the fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, which kicks off from 4pm.
  • The fight will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

What TV channel is Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel on and can it be live streamed?

  • Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel will be shown live on DAZN PPV, TNT Sports Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office..
  • Coverage gets underway from 4pm GMT.

Full card

  • Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol for the IBF, IBO, WBC and WBO light-heavyweight titles
  • Daniel Dubois vs Joseph Parker for the IBF heavyweight title
  • Shakur Stevenson vs Floyd Schofield for the WBC lightweight title
  • Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz for the WBC middleweight titke
  • Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Israil Madrimov for the interim WBC heavyweight title
  • Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel for the vacant WBC heavyweight title
  • Joshua Buatsi vs Callum Smith for the interim WBO light-heavyweight title
  • Bradley Rea vs Constantino Nanga

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