A BARGAIN supermarket has closed its doors for good, as residents mourn the loss to their local highstreet.

The branch is part of a major chain with more than 300 stores across the nation.

2

2

Advertisement

Farmfoods sells frozen food and fresh groceries at bargain prices.

The closure of the Sutton branch in south London was announced last month, with the supermarket finally shutting up shop yesterday (October 5).

It was prompted by the landlord’s decision to redevelop the site, according to MyLondon.

After news broke of the closure, locals took to a residents’ Facebook group to voice their disappointment.

One wrote: “That’s really sad, I love Farmfoods, soon there shall be no shops left in Sutton.”

Another praised the branch, saying it was a “useful shop, especially in COVID times”.

Others were unhappy about yet another loss to Sutton highstreet.

One said: “Sutton could end up a dormitory town as Crawley was, no services, or many shops in town, but plenty of places to live and good transport to get to and from it.”

Another echoed: “Another one gone.”

A third wrote :”There will be nothing left except for flats. No shops anywhere.”

However, the chain does have plans to reopen the site at some point in the future, according to a spokesperson.

Property Director Alistair Kay said: “The closure is due to our landlord intending to redevelop the land the building sits on. No other Farmfoods shops are affected.

“We’re grateful to all our customers for their loyalty shopping with us at the site over the years and will continue to look for suitable opportunities to reopen in Sutton in future.”

Before the closure, the supermarket launched a huge closing down sale – with 50% off all stock.

M&S customers are delighted after spotting a classic treat which has made a reappearance on supermarket shelves for the holidays.

Eagle-eyed shoppers noticed Halloween Colin the Caterpillars Chocolate Sponge Mini Rolls are once again being stocked across the retailer’s stores.

1

Shoppers could not contain their excitement after spotting the chocolate snack was back in store.

Commenting on a social media post, one said: “I love these”.

While another said: “Omg I need.”

Meanwhile, a third said: “These are what I want.”

The treat, which is a festive take on the classic caterpillar cake, has been rolled out ahead of Halloween on October 30.

The mini chocolate sponge rolls are filled with red-coloured white chocolate buttercream.

To celebrate the spooky holiday, the cakes are covered in milk chocolate and decorated to look like a mummy.

The product retails for £3.75 and contains five mini cakes inside each packet.

However, it is a limited edition product, meaning once Halloween is over shoppers will no longer be able to buy it.

M&S’s range of Colin and Connie Caterpillar sweets and cakes has become a fan-favourite amongst shoppers.

But back in August, the retailer confirmed it had axed some of the treats from the range as part of a product relaunch.

Over the summer, M&S scrapped its Colin and Connie “Together Forever” sweets, leading one fan to comment online: “Sad that Colin and Connie are no longer Together Forever”.

At the time a spokeswoman said: “Our Connie and Colin sweets were discontinued in July 2024 as part of our confectionery relaunch, however within this relaunch we have a brand new product, Colin Party Time, bursting with six flavours in party theme shapes. 

“We also have a full range of Colin sweets including our Colin Softies and Colin Fruit Gums.

She added: “Colin is the original caterpillar character, so he is always going to show up more throughout our confectionery and bakery ranges. “

M&S also confirmed that it is quietly axing the Colin The Caterpillar Fizzy Rainbow sweets.

The sweets were rainbow in colour with a sour sugary coating.

Thankfully, it is not all doom and gloom for M&S shoppers as the retailer confirmed it will bring back an iconic drink this Christmas.

The supermarket’s original snow globe gin liqueur will make a return for the holidays after a hiatus.

Previously, the gin came in two flavours – Clementine and Spiced Sugar Plum – but this year, only the Clementine one will be sold.

Due to the drink’s popularity, back in 2020 customers were given a limit and told they could only buy two at a time.

M&S didn’t sell the liqueur last year, but it is now bringing the iconic drink back.

Why are products axed or recipes changed?

ANALYSIS by chief consumer reporter James Flanders.

Food and drinks makers have been known to tweak their recipes or axe items altogether.

They often say that this is down to the changing tastes of customers.

Advertisement

There are several reasons why this could be done.

For example, government regulation, like the “sugar tax,” forces firms to change their recipes.

Some manufacturers might choose to tweak ingredients to cut costs.

They may opt for a cheaper alternative, especially when costs are rising to keep prices stable.

Advertisement

For example, Tango Cherry disappeared from shelves in 2018.

It has recently returned after six years away but as a sugar-free version.

Fanta removed sweetener from its sugar-free alternative earlier this year.

Suntory tweaked the flavour of its flagship Lucozade Original and Orange energy drinks.

Advertisement

While the amount of sugar in every bottle remains unchanged, the supplier swapped out the sweetener aspartame for sucralose.

HOUSEHOLDS claiming the State Pension and other benefits should be aware of a one-off payment due before the end of the year.

The Department for Work and Pensions Christmas Bonus is a one-off tax-free payment which is paid before December 25.

1

If you meet the eligiblity criteria the cash bonus is usually paid directly into your account meaning you do not need to apply.

The money should go into your usual account and might show up as ‘DWP XB’ on your statement.

To qualify for the bonus you must be a resident of UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar during the qualifying week.

This is usually the first full week of December.

You must also be claiming one of the following benefits:

• Adult Disability Payment
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Carer Support Payment
• Child Disability Payment
• Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
• Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
• Disability Living Allowance
• Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate
• Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
• Mobility Supplement
• Pension Credit – the guarantee element
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
• Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
• Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
• War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
• War Widow’s Pension
• Widowed Mother’s Allowance
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance
• Widow’s Pension

However, the DWP State Retirement Age but have not claimed your state pension, for instance, because you are deferring it, then you won’t get the free cash.

How much will you get?

If you meet the criteria then the DWP will pay you £10 this Christmas.

It is not exactly clear when the money will appear, but the DWP does say that if you think you should get it and the money hasn’t come through by January 1, you must contact your local Jobcentre Plus office.

If you are over retirement age then you should contact the Pension Service.

It is also worth noting that payment is calculated per individual, which means that if more than one adult in the household is eligible, they’ll each get a £10 payment.

Even if your partner or civil partner does not get one of the qualifying benefits, they may still get the Christmas Bonus if they reach state pension age by the end of the qualifying week.

However, you must be entitled to an increase of a qualifying benefit for your partner or civil partner, or the only qualifying benefit you’re getting must be Pension Credit.

How to check your eligibility?

For those who are unsure if they can get access to the bonus, you can use an online benefits calculator.

These are free-to-use online tools which can be accessed at a number of websites.

For example, charity Turn2Us’ has a benefits calculator that works out what you could get.

Entitledto also has a free calculator that determines whether you qualify for various benefits, including tax credits and Universal Credit.

You can also use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.

Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.

If you do not want to use an online calculator there are other options available.

For example, you can also check with a local benefits adviser to find out what you could be entitled to.

The website advicelocal.uk lets you enter your post code and informs you of your nearest adviser and how you can contact them.

For example if you enter on the website that you live in Wandsworth, London it will give you the details of the nearest support in the area.

In this instance, it was the borough’s local Age UK and Citizens Advice.

You should be aware that many organisations do not offer an open-door service.

If you are planning to contact an organisation for help or advice you might want to check their website for more information before doing so.

YOUR TV licence is a legal permit that allows you to watch live television and some online streaming services in the UK.

Anyone who wants to watch live TV, including the BBC, ITV and Sky, must pay for a TV licence.

1

The Government is responsible for setting the level of the licence fee.

Last December it was announced that the government would raise the licence fee by 6.7%, in line with inflation, taking effect from April 2024.

This has brought the cost of a colour licence fee to £169.50 per year and a black and white licence fee to £57 per year.

It is a criminal offence to watch live TV without a licence and enforcement officers can carry out checks at your house if you do not pay.

This can lead to fines of up to £1,000 and if you dodge the fee you could face prosecution.

However, the rise in streaming services has meant it can be confusing for some households to figure out if they have to pay for a license or not.

You must have a TV licence to do the following:

• Watch or record live TV on any channel or service, such as Channel 4, ITV, BBC, SKY, Virgin or Freeview
• Use BBC iPlayer
• Watch live TV on any streaming service including Amazon Prime, ITV X, Channel 4 or YouTube.

You do not need a TV Licence to watch:

• Streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus
• On-demand TV through services like Amazon Prime Video
• Videos on websites like YouTube
• Videos or DVDs

However, if you are watching on-demand programmes on websites such as Amazon Prime and then switch over to a live programme the site is streaming you must have a license to do this.

It is worth noting that TV licences are per house not per person, meaning the £169.50 fee can be split between a household of multiple people.

However, this changes if you have separate tenancy agreements and you watch TV in your own room.

For example, if you live in a shared house and you watch TV in your bedroom and your housemate does not, then you will need your own license.

You can have one TV licence for the whole household if you either watch TV in a single shared area or have a joint tenancy agreement.

So, if you are confident that you will not be watching any live content from your home you do not have to pay a TV licence.

But it is worth being aware of the possible fines and charges if you change your mind.

If you are already paying for a licence you can cancel it and may also be eligible for a refund.

You can do this by visiting https://forms.tvlicensing.co.uk/.

Can you get a discount on your TV licence?

You can claim a free TV licence if you’re 75 or older and either receive Pension Credit yourself or live with a partner who gets Pension Credit.

You can apply for a free licence when you’re 74, but will still have to pay until the end of the month before your 75^th birthday.

You can apply for your free licence online or by calling 0300 790 6071.

You could also be eligible for a discounted TV licence if you live in residential care or sheltered accommodation, or if you’re registered blind.

If you live in sheltered accommodation or residential care and are over 60 or disabled you can get a licence for just £7.50.

Your housing manager should be able to check if you’re eligible and will apply for you.

If you’re registered blind, or live with someone who is, you’re in line for a 50% discount.

The licence must be in the name if the person registered blind, but if your existing licence is not in their name you can make an application to transfer it.

You can apply for the discount on the TV Licensing website.

THOUSANDS of households could still be eligible for the £300 Winter Fuel Payment even if they do not claim Pension Credit.

The Winter Fuel Payment is a state benefit paid once a year to pensioners to help cover the cost of heating during colder months.

1

The handout was previously available to everyone aged above 66 and helped with high energy bills.

But Chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed earlier this year the cash would only be given to retirees on pension credit, or other means-tested benefits.

To meet the criteria for Pension Credit you must have a weekly income which falls below around £218 if you are single.

If you live with a partner and you are both state pension age then your weekly income must fall below around £350.

It is thought around 800,000 pensioners meet the criteria for pension credit and have not applied.

So it is always worth checking your eligibility to see if you have a chance.

However, the top-up is not the only way to qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment.

For example, older Brtis who are living in a different country can still get the £300 cash boost.

This is because of a loophole in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, which sets out the rights of British expats living in European countries.

Citizens who meet the criteria can claim a Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) if they move to an eligible country before December 31, 2020.

To be eligible, citizens must also:

• Have been born before September 23, 1958
• Be receiving a benefit paid by the UK, such as a State Pension
• Have a genuine and sufficient link to the UK, such as having lived or worked in the UK, or having family in the UK
• Receive a qualifying means-tested benefit from the country they live in

You will need to claim Winter Fuel Payment even if you have got it before. The payment is not made automatically when you live abroad.

The eligible countries you can live in and claim are:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• Germany
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Sweden
• Switzerland

If you live abroad and want to apply for the Winter Fuel Payment you can find out more about submitting your application by clicking the link here.

Other ways to meet the criteria

A partner below the state pension age may also be eligible for the £300 payment if they live with a partner who is over state pension age and they jointly claim benefits. These include:

• Universal Credit
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit

So for example, if you are 65 and your partner is 66 and you both claim benefits, your partner will be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment.

If you do not have a partner and still claim any of the above benefits you could still be entitled to the Winter Fuel Payment.

If you want to check your eligibility then it is worth checking out our article here.

You can also find free-to-use online benefits calculators to work out what you’re entitled to.

For example, Age UK has an online calculator which helps you work out what benefits you could be entitled to including the Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Credit.

According to the site, it takes 10 minutes to complete and you will need the following information:

• Your savings
• Your income, including your partner’s if you have one
• Any benefits or pensions you’re already claiming, including anyone you’re living with.

The calculator is free to use and confidential.

Help at hand

The Sun has launched a ­Winter Fuel SOS campaign to help thousands of pensioners worried about their energy bills.

We want to hear from you by phone or email — and it’s fine if you are calling or messaging on behalf of a friend or relative.

Our panel includes former ­pensions minister Sir Steve Webb, pensions expert Baroness Ros ­Altmann and consumer champion Martyn James.

They will be joined by The Sun’s Head of Consumer Tara Evans and Sun Savers Editor Lana ­Clements.

And even if you aren’t eligible for the payment, our team will be ­sharing tips on how to switch energy providers and save money, get help if you’re in debt or simply need to save this winter.

Your cases will be considered by our panel, who will aim to give you advice within one week of your call or email.

HOUSEHOLDS will start to guzzle through more energy as temperatures drop and the heating goes on but easy mistakes with the thermostat will cost you.

The cost of warming and powering homes is rising with the energy price cap leaping 10% from £1,568 to £1,717 on October 1.

1

However, the exact amount you’ll pay for your energy bill depends on how much you use.

It means that it’s more important to make sure you are being as efficient as possible with energy.

Heating your home is one of the biggest costs of energy bills over the colder months.

Thermostats control the temperature of your home by linking to your boiler.

The heating is triggered to come on when the temperature dips below that set on the thermostat.

It’s not surprising that people try many different tricks to try make their home warmer for less.

However, there are some common mistakes that people make with the thermostat that piles the pounds on to annual bills.

Turning up the thermostat to get warm faster – £343

When you come home and it’s freezing cold outside, you just want your pad to be instantly toasty.

Turning up the dial on the thermostat can seem like a good way to hurry things along – but sadly that’s not how it works.

Nancy Emery, heating expert at online retailer Tap Warehouse, says: “A thermostat works as a limiter and not an accelerator, so turning it up in a bid to quickly heat your home won’t work…

“By turning your thermostat up, you’re essentially asking your heating to reach a higher temperature which could take longer, around an hour or so per degree increase.

“This just means your home will reach its optimal temperature in a set amount of time, and then go beyond costing you more money on your energy bills in the process. “

Setting the thermostat higher than needed means you are more likely to let the home overheat which will hammer your bills.

It’s estimated that you can save around 10% off your bill with every one degree the heating is turned down, according to the Energy Saving Trust.

The average fuel bill is now going to stand at £1,717 from October 1 meaning that if you crank the heating even two degrees higher and forget to put it back down you could add an extra £343 to your bill.

Nancy adds: “With the worry of the new energy price cap that’s looming, the best thing to do is to maintain your thermostat at a regular temperature to help keep costs down.”

Leaving your heating on low all day – £150

There is a belief that leaving your heating on low all day is cheaper than having it on for a few hours in the evening or morning at a higher temperature.

The Energy Saving Trust says that if you have a boiler, this isn’t true.

You will use more energy, which will ultimately cost you more money.

It’s more energy efficient, and better for your bills, to have your boiler come on when you need it.

With the average cost of gas central heating is around £1.68 an hour, according to Check-a-trade.com.

If you have the heating on for just one extra hour a day over a month that will cost you an extra £50.

And if you were to do it every day during the coldest months December to February, you’re looking at a total added £150.

However, there is an exception to this rule and that is if you have a heat pump.

The Energy Saving Trust says that it can be more beneficial to run a heat pump all day.

Drying clothes on radiators – £60

Many people try to make the most of having the heating on by drying clothes on radiators.

However, this can trick your thermostat into having the heating on for longer.

This is because when you put clothes on the radiator it blocks the heat coming out making it take longer for the room to reach the desired degree.

The heating will stay on until rooms reach the set temperature.

It means that if you have the heating on for an extra hour at £1.68 three times a week over 12 weeks when the weather is cold, you’re looking at around an extra £60 added to your bill.

As well as clothes, furniture can block heat from circulating in a room. So make sure there is plenty of space between radiators and sofas or beds, for example.

Putting your thermostat in the wrong place – £hundreds

If your thermostat is in the wrong place you could end up paying hundreds of pounds more in energy bills.

Thermostats monitor when your home has reached the temperature you want, and can be used to turn the heating up or down.

But if the thermostat is in a colder part of the house, it could be reporting that the temperature is lower than it really is in the rest of the home.

This means your heating is working harder than necessary.

You can read more about how that affects your bills here.

More ways to save on heating your home

It’s not just the thermostat that dictates the cost of heating.

There are lots of things you can do to help keep your home warm on a budget.

Putting reflective foil behind your radiator helps to reflect heat back into the room. You can get special packs fro around £10 or even using regular aluminium foil can help.

Check your radiators for any cold patches and bleed them if so. This will will help rooms heat evenly and efficiently and avoid overworking your boiler.

Give your radiators a good dust so that heat can move freely through the room.

Use thermostatic valves to control the heating in each room of your home.

In spare bedrooms or lesser used rooms, turn the heating right down or off to avoid heating spaces with no one in.

Turning down your boiler’s flow temperature can also help cut bills.

Reducing draughts will also help your home to stop losing heat keeping it much toastier – draught excluders cost from around £5 and will help stop cooler air entering through gaps and crevices.