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Urgent warning over ‘toxic’ slushy drinks that could trigger dangerous syndrome after 21 kids hospitalised

AN urgent warning has been issued over slushy drinks in the UK after 21 children were hospitalised.

Children under the age of eight should avoid consuming slush ice drinks containing the sweetening agent glycerol to avoid “glycerol intoxication syndrome”, say researchers.

Two young boys sharing a slushy drink with straws.
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In the UK, slush drinks containing glycerol are not recommended for children under the age of four[/caption]

Currently in the UK, slush drinks – also known as slushies – containing the ingredient are not recommended for children under the age of four.

The advice comes under NHS guidance, which states due to the high levels of glycerol in slush drinks, young children are at risk of having too much glycerol, which can cause dizziness, low blood sugar (glucose), confusion and they can even pass out.

These symptoms occur in young children because their bodies can’t break glycerol down as efficiently as adults.

The guidance was issued by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), with the most recent updates occurring in 2023.

However, academics have called for the public health advice to be revisited after a study of hospitalised children with ages ranging from two to almost seven years old.

Glycerol is a naturally occurring alcohol and sugar substitute which helps slush drinks maintain their texture by preventing liquid from freezing solid.

As part of the study, published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, researchers at University College Dublin looked at the medical notes of 21 children in the UK and Ireland who fell ill after consuming a slushy.

Most cases took place between 2018 and 2024, with children’s ages ranging between two and almost seven.

The youngsters were initially diagnosed with hypoglycaemia, or low blood sugar, after arriving at emergency departments.

Drinking slushies containing glycerol “may cause a clinical syndrome of glycerol intoxication in young children”, said the researchers.

Symptoms included decreased consciousness, hypoglycaemia, lactic acidosis, which occurs when the body produces too much lactic acid, and hypokalaemia, or low potassium.

They added: “Clinicians and parents should be alert to the phenomenon, and public health bodies should ensure clear messaging regarding the fact that younger children, especially those under eight years of age, should avoid slush ice drinks containing glycerol.”

As well as advising against children under four consuming slush ice drinks containing glycerol, the FSA recommends consumption is limited to no more than one slush per day for children aged between five and 10 years.

The time between drinking the slushy and becoming ill was known for 15 children, with 14 becoming unwell within an hour, according to the review.

All 21 children recovered quickly and were discharged with advice not to drink slushies, according to the study.

'We nearly lost our son's life'

FOUR-year-old Albie Pegg started hallucinating then fell unconscious within an hour of drinking a slushy.

The reception pupil had been bowling with a friend after school on October 13, 2023, before gulping down a small strawberry-flavoured iced slushy drink.

Within 30 minutes, his mum, Beth Green, said he appeared “tired and agitated” in the back of the car.

Beth grew increasingly concerned when Albie started “hallucinating”, “clawing at his face” and falling unconscious.

The tot was rushed to hospital, where medics discovered his blood sugar levels were dangerously low and his heartbeat “extremely slow”.

A doctor allegedly told them if they hadn’t brought Albie in, it would have been fatal.

His mum, Beth Green said: “We nearly lost our son’s life. We’ve never experienced anything like this before, he’s always been a fit and healthy child.”

Beth said she believes the recommended age to have the iced drink should be raised to 10.

Of the group, 20 children followed this advice and had no further episodes of low blood sugar.

However, one child had another slushy at the age of seven and developed symptoms within an hour.

Researchers said: “There is poor transparency around slush ice drink glycerol concentration; estimating a safe dose is therefore not easy.

“It is also likely that speed and dose of ingestion, along with other aspects such as whether the drink is consumed alongside a meal or during a fasting state, or consumed after high-intensity exercise, may be contributing factors.”

A child in a hospital bed holding hands with an adult.
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Between 2018 and 2024, 21 children ranging between two and almost seven became unwell after drinking slushies[/caption]

They added that “there are no nutritional or health benefits from these drinks” and “they are not recommended as part of a balanced diet”.

“Recommendations on their safe consumption therefore need to be weighted towards safety,” the academics said.

“To ensure safe population-level recommendations can be easily interpreted at the individual parental level, and given the variability across an age cohort of weight, we suggest that recommendations should be based on weight rather than age.

“Alternatively, the recommended age threshold may need to be higher (eight years), to ensure the dose per weight would not be exceeded given normal population variation in weight.”

Signs of glycerol intoxication syndrome

CHILDREN below the age of 10 may suffer from headaches and sickness caused by exposure to glycerol.

At very high levels of exposure – typically when several of these products are drunk by a child in a short space of time – glycerol intoxication could cause shock, hypoglycaemia and loss of consciousness. 

Typical early warning signs of hypoglycaemia are feeling hungry, trembling or shakiness, and sweating.

In more severe cases, you may also feel confused and have difficulty concentrating.

In very severe cases, a person experiencing hypoglycaemia can lose consciousness.

Source: Food Standards Agency/NHS

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Iconic 115-year-old British sports car brand unveils new £100,000 model – with a little help from a Top Gear legend

AN ICONIC British sports car brand has unveiled its new £100,000 flagship model.

Morgan Motor Company revealed its new motor, the Supersport, with the help of a Top Gear legend on Tuesday at the firm’s headquarters in Malvern, Worcestershire.

Richard Hammond in a new Morgan sports car.
Lee Thomas
Former Top Gear host Richard Hammond helped unveil Morgan’s newest motor[/caption]
Morgan Supersport driving on a mountain road.
Morgan
The incredibly lightweight Supersport costs £102,000 and comes with a powerful six-cylinder engine which produces 335bhp[/caption]
Richard Hammond with Morgan Motor Company executives at the unveiling of the new Supersport.
Lee Thomas
The model was revealed on Tuesday at an event at Morgan’s headquarters in Worcestershire[/caption]

The iconic carmaker partnered with former Top Gear host Richard Hammond to help to unveil the new model, which is set to replace the Morgan Plus Six.

Since production of the Plus Six ended last year, only a limited-edition Pinnacle version has been released.

Now, Morgan hopes to cement its future with the brand new Supersport.

Each of the new models will be made using the time-honoured tradition of hand forming its CXV-aluminium body over a wooden ash frame.

The lightweight two-seater comes powered with a BMW-borrowed turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine that puts out 335bhp.

It also comes with the BMW ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox and can race up from 0 to 62mph in just under four seconds.

The modern motor has a top speed of 166mph, although you’ll probably only want to reach a speed this high with the hard-top roof closed.

You can get the motor with a hard-top roof for an extra £5,500 or with a traditional folding soft top for an additional £3,500.

Managing director Matthew Hole said: “Supersport marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Morgan – a flagship that reflects the spirit and confidence of our brand today.

“Supersport embodies an effortless combination of dynamic performance – thanks to its new lightweight ‘CXV’ aluminium platform – and contemporary yet unmistakable design.

“Every element has been carefully considered to create an engaging and responsive driving experience, where technology is seamlessly integrated to enhance – rather than overpower – the connection between car and driver.”

The motor is priced at £102,000 and first test drives will be available at dealerships from mid-April.

Customer deliveries are due later this year.

This comes just weeks after fears were raised for Morgan’s future, as it is among a small group of low-volume manufacturers that could be heavily impacted by the UK’s mandated electrification timeline.

Currently, manufacturers that sell fewer than 2,500 cars annually in the UK are exempt from the zero emission vehicle, or ZEV, mandate, which requires mainstream firms to hit an 80% EV mix by 2030.

This means the likes of Morgan, as well as Caterham, Ginetta and Lister, won’t have to develop and rush through the creation of an all-electric motor within the next few years.

However, it remains unclear whether these smaller brands will also be spared from the 2030 ban on new pure internal combustion engine sales.

What’s more, the rules state that hybrids with a “meaningful” electric range can remain on sale until 2035, when all new cars in the UK must be fully electric.

Morgan, which is 115 years old, produces around 850 cars a year and has a six-month waiting list for orders.

Its motors are famed for their ability to blend classic design and traditional craftsmanship with modern technology.

‘A LOT OF AMBIGUITY’ OVER SALES

Recently, the firm’s managing director, Matthew Hole, expressed frustration over “a lot of ambiguity” surrounding what smaller manufacturers will be permitted to sell.

He said: “To get a car into production for 2030 as an EV, we need two-and-a-half to three years, based on where we are today, so we’ve got a little bit of time left.

“But the clock is ticking pretty fast at the moment – and for manufacturers like us, that’s a hard deadline.

“We have to plan our investment. I can’t really find out on 1 January 2027; I’m planning my investment for 2030 now.”

This timeframe for development is proving to be a significant challenge for Morgan’s decision-makers.

Hole added: “If we need an EV in 2030 or we need an EV in 2035, those are two very different scenarios, and they significantly change how we approach product planning going forward.

“Our customers are telling us that they would like to keep buying internal combustion engines, and the legislation isn’t clear today on when we will be required to move to EVs in all markets.

“We have other markets around the world, and they are internal combustion-engines. Our cars are incredibly clean.

“It’s an incredibly clean engine and transmission package. The cars are really lightweight, they’re low-emission, and they’re actually really sustainable by design.”

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Debenhams returns as Boohoo takes the bust department store’s name

DEBENHAMS is back as fast-fashion retailer Boohoo takes the bust department store’s name.

The online group yesterday shocked the City by announcing the decision alongside a radical overhaul of its strategy to an online marketplace selling other brands.

Collage of models and a stock chart showing Boohoo's purchase of Debenhams.
Debenhams is back as fast-fashion retailer Boohoo takes the bust department store’s name

Analysts and industry experts told The Sun it could pave the way for a break-up and sale of some of its struggling young fashion brands.

Boohoo bought Debenhams out of bankruptcy for £55million in 2021 but none of its 124 stores.

At the time, Boohoo was enjoying the online boom as bored young shoppers spent lockdowns buying outfits from their smartphones and it tapped into rapidly changing social media fashion trends.

However, since Covid restrictions lifted, Boohoo’s share price has collapsed by 90 per cent.

Its sales growth has stalled, losses have soared and it has faced intense competition from rival fast-fashion site Shein.

Daniel Finley, who was only promoted in November from leading the Debenhams division to chief executive of the group, yesterday said that he wanted to use his turnaround of the former department store business as “a blueprint for the wider turnaround of the group”.

In a major strategy shift, the retailer will go from being driven by its own brands, designing and buying stock in its own warehouse to having a “stock-lite and capital-lite” model.

Analysts welcomed the shake-up, saying that Debenhams was now making around half of the group’s earnings.

Still, the company’s shares fell by another 4.6 per cent yesterday to 26p.

The shift will mean Debenhams will go up against the likes of strong retail giants Next, which has a booming online marketplace, Marks & Spencer, which is rapidly adding third-party fashion brands, John Lewis and even Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group.

The company revealed that ­Debenhams made revenues of £204.6million last year, nine per cent more than the previous year.

Its youth brands, which include the Boohoo label, PrettyLittleThing and NastyGal, made almost four times as much money although this was a fifth down on the ­previous year.

Mr Finley yesterday posted on Linkedin: “This isn’t just a new beginning, it’s a new dawn taking flight”. He signed off with “LFG” — short for “let’s f go” and a rocket emoji.

Cookie egg win

DOMINO’S PIZZA has almost sold-out of its Cadbury Creme Egg cookies, a month before Easter and a year after the treat sparked an obesity outcry.

Boss Andrew Rennie confirmed his chain is on track to shift all of its limited ­supply of one million Creme Eggs for its cookies, which have 370 calories each.

Ex-health minister Lord Bethell branded bosses “irresponsible” over the snack.

But Rennie said consumers had their “eyes wide open”, as he reported profits up 8.4 per cent to £107.3million.

Cut-price bids for WHSmith

WHSmith store sign.
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Bidders for WHSmith’s high street business are understood to have offered significantly less than the expected price tag[/caption]

THE two bidders for WHSmith‘s high street business are understood to have offered significantly less than the £100million price tag fancied by most analysts.

Alteri, which owns Bensons for Beds, is going head-to-head with Modella Capital, which owns Hobbycraft and The Original Factory Shop, to strike a deal which will remove WHSmith’s name from the high street after 233 years.

Analysts had suggested the business could fetch between £100million and £130million.

However, sources scoffed at this price. They said the two offers had different proposals attached but the cash value was well below £100million.

This is because the deal does not include any freehold store sites or branding, and only limited stock.

It is understood that the situation is not so perilous to require WHSmith to offer a dowry to bidders to take the high street arm off its hands.

Car loan compo

MILLIONS of motorists who were mis-sold car finance deals could receive automatic compensation.

The Financial Conduct Authority yesterday said it would compel lenders to tell customers how much they are owed if the Supreme Court rules next month that loans were mis-sold.

Analysts estimate payouts could average around £1,100 per person.

It follows a landmark ruling last year that car dealers had broken the law by receiving commission on finance deals without buyers being aware.

Two fingers to Mike Ashley

Mike Ashley at the High Court.
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Boohoo is rubbing salt in Mike Ashley’s wounds by rebranding itself Debenhams[/caption]

STAND back. Mike Ashley might be about to explode. The tycoon was already bruised about Boohoo beating him to buying Debenhams.

He even built up a big stake in Boohoo to try and wrestle back power, only for the board to snub him and promote Daniel Finley as boss.

In December investors denied him a board seat even after he waged a costly campaign. Now — in the ultimate two-fingered snub — Boohoo is rubbing salt in the wound by rebranding itself Debenhams.

“Big Mike” had that idea first — renaming Sports Direct empire ­Frasers Group to improve its reputation after buying the House of Fraser store business.

Mr Finley would not reveal yesterday if he had run the rebrand past Mr Ashley, saying: “We think there’s a huge opportunity to deliver for shareholders — that includes Mike and Frasers.”

VW's bad to wurst

VOLKSWAGEN is close to selling more sausages than cars in a bizarre blow for the German motor giant.

VW revealed that last year it sold a record 8.5million “currywurst” dishes — sausages with ketchup and curry powder.

By comparison, Europe’s biggest car maker sold 9million vehicles, 3 per cent lower than the year before.

VW’s currywurst originated in its factory canteen but is now sold widely in supermarkets.

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