THE UK’s biggest water company has been thrown a lifeline to stop it running out of cash by Christmas.

Troubled Thames Water yesterday said it had secured a loan of up to £3billion.

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The new debt will give it the necessary breathing space to continue talks with other investors about injecting fresh cash into the business.

Chris Weston, the firm’s chief executive, said it was the “best option”.

If Thames Water — which supplies 16million households — does not find a long-term answer and runs out of cash, it will be transferred into temporary Government ownership.

Regulator Ofwat said safeguards are in place to protect water supplies.

Thames — which will be in almost £18billion of debt by the end of March — has asked existing creditors to put in £1.5billion to extend its resources to next October.

A further £1.5billion in loans can be accessed if it succeeds in its appeal against regulator Ofwat on how much it can put up bills.

Ofwat said in July the supplier could only raise bills by 22 per cent, but the firm wants a 53 per cent rise.

Castle Water, co-founded by Tory treasurer Graham Edwards, is involved in investment talks.

Infrastructure investor Brookfield, private equity giant Carlyle and Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, who controls Northumbrian Water, are also weighing it up.

Stuff bought

CASUAL clothing brand White Stuff has been bought by the South African owner of Hobbs, Whistles and Phase Eight.

White Stuff, which has 113 shops and 46 concessions in UK department stores, has gone to TFG London, part of Johannesburg-listed THE Foschin Group.

Good week

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ELON Musk after his fortune rose by £20billion in one day when the share price of TESLA jumped on bold sales forecasts.

Bad week

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OLA Kallenius, boss of Mercedes-Benz, which revealed that profits had slumped by over half.

A NEW find at Home Bargains has parents across the UK buzzing with excitement as it’s scanning for only £30.

Savvy mum Rachael Anfield Whyte shared her discovery of the Dreamer Cosmetic Trolley, dubbing it the “perfect gift for little girls” this Christmas.

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The eye-catching cosmetic trolley, priced at just £30, is a dream come true for kids who love all things glam.

Rachael, whose six-year-old daughter has a passion for makeup and a love of pink, couldn’t resist the sparkling trolley.

Sharing her bargain find on popular Facebook group Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK, se wrote: “My little girl who’s six is obsessed with her big sister’s makeup, and she’s also pink mad.

“Spotted this in Home Bargains – so cute!

“It’s £30, which I thought was a bargain when most online are tiny for the same price!”

Rachael even added a photo of the trolley’s contents, highlighting the range of items that make it a fully-equipped beauty kit for aspiring young makeup artists.

The Dreamer Cosmetic Trolley is packed with everything needed for a glam makeover on the go, including a glitter eyeshadow palette, lip glosses, a nail polish set, and even fun accessories like nail stickers and body gemstones.

Its spacious compartments leave room for additional products, so little ones can grow their collection over time.

Designed for playdates, parties, or just a bit of dress-up fun at home, the trolley has built-in features like a pull-up handle and rolling wheels, ensuring kids can transport their beauty kit wherever they go.

The design includes a built-in mirror and foldable compartments, adding a grown-up feel to this pint-sized beauty salon on wheels.

As the holiday season approaches, Rachael’s recommendation could be a game-changer for those searching for an affordable yet exciting gift.

The post saw flood of positive comments from fellow parents eager to grab the trolley for their own children.

One user wrote: “We are on a hunt for this.”

Another commented: “I bought something very similar to this in Smyths for £60.

“When I seen this in home bargains I nearly cried, definitely a good deal!”

A third added: “I need this!”

It comes as Home Bargains shoppers are rushing to buy an “amazing” beauty gift set that’s scanning at tills for £8 instead of £31.

The “ideal stocking filler” features several L’Oreal products.

Home Bargains has slashed the cost of its L’Oreal Blemish Buster Gift Set from £38.99 to just £7.99.

That’s over 80 per cent off meaning customers save £31.00.

SHOPPERS have breathed a sigh of relief after a beloved drinks brand confirmed it won’t be axing its iconic fizzy drink.

Some had even been worrying that this year’s Christmas would be ruined if the beverage were discontinued.

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Fans of Old Jamaica ginger beer had been speculating for a while that the sun had set on the refreshing drink.

This was after a cryptic announcement by the brand claiming it would be “retiring” in a “blaze of glory”.

But this week, on October 24, it put rumours to bed in an Instagram post, with one commenter quickly quipping: “You rotters! I thought my Xmas was gonna be ruined.”

The Instagram video began with the caption: “Did anyone actually think we were signing off?”

It added: “We’re not f***ing leaving. It’s our iconic look we are bidding farewell to.

“Time for a well deserved refresh. Stay tuned.”

Before this much-awaited update, customers flooded Reddit to discuss the potential axing.

One dramatically wrote: “I swear to God I will not survive without this sweet fiery nectar.”

Another concerned fan said: “Hell no !!! its goes great with pretty much every drink alcoholic.”

Sensing a marketing ploy, a third said: “If they’ve changed their name to New Jamaica I’m going to be fuming.”

The Caribbean-inspired brand was launched in Kington, London, in 1927 and is owned by Beliv Company.

It comes as a number of other companies have announced new or rebranded products ahead of Christmas.

Aldi baffled shoppers with a new product that seemed more Easter-appropriate than it did Christmassy – hollow chocolate eggs named “Garry the Gingerbread Man” and “Parker the Penguin”.

Meanwhile, M&S shoppers rushed to grab a new £15 gift box of chocolates that “snows” when you shake it.

CHOCOHOLICS are going wild after a brand new Cadbury’s treat was spotted on the shelves at B&M.

The retailer has recently been stocking the shelves full of different chocolate treats – including Cadbury’s Coated Fruit & Nuts.

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A picture of the Cadbury Coated Fruit & Nuts alongside coated peanuts and sultanas were posted to a snack review Facebook page.

So far, it has wracked up thousands of likes, comments and shares with viewers desperate to get their hands on the treats.

Nearly 7,000 overexcited chocolate lovers rushed to the comments, with one telling their friend: “I’ll take them all!”

Another commented: “Need some of these.”

And: “This is a must!”

But others were slightly shocked at the price of the chocolate – despite being in the bargain retailer B&M.

An unhappy shopper commented: “£6 tho?”

Another pointed out: “I was going to say ‘yes please’ to sultanas jar then saw price and size of them!”

Despite what may seem expensive to some, the jars are sharing-sized and are seemingly perfect for the festive season.

The new selection includes various nuts and fruits coated in the delicious Cadbury’s chocolate.

Options include peanuts, almonds, sultanas and hazelnuts.

Cadbury has plenty of other exciting ranges which prop up on shelves every once in a while.

For example, this year a Cadbury’s mint-flavoured twirl appeared on shelves in B&M, originally launched in Australia, and only £1 for four.

There’s also loads of classic fan-favourites making a comeback in time for Christmas, such as the Dairy Milk Chocolate Puds.

For individual pud it costs 75p in Sainsbury’s and just 70p in Waitrose.

You can also buy bags of mini puds for £1.65 in Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Poundland.

And the rare 360g Dairy Milk mint crisp bar has returned to some shelves this year – selling cheapest in Asda for £4.

Other Cadbury Christmas bars which are available in supermarkets this year also include the Dairy Milk Classic Wonderland and Mini Snow Balls edition.

Remember to always compare prices when shopping so you know you’re paying the right amount for what you’re getting.

A great way to do this is via the comparison site Trolley which will show the prices for every store.

You can also visit the Cadbury website to browse all their latest products and launches.

It comes as B&M shoppers also went wild for a new twist on the Dream bar.

Meanwhile, chocolate lovers raved about a new type of M&M – the Candy Popcorn M&M Minis.

Nestle also added a new chocolate to its Quality Street “Favourites Golden Selection” pouch: the Toffee Penny.

How to save money on chocolate

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We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don’t have to break the bank buying your favourite bar.

Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs…

Go own brand – if you’re not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you’ll save by going for the supermarket’s own brand bars.

Shop around – if you’ve spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it’s cheaper elsewhere.

Websites like Trolley.co.uk let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you’re getting the best deal.

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Look out for yellow stickers – supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they’ve been reduced.

They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged.

Buy bigger bars – most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar.

So if you’ve got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.

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A GRANDAD who won £200,000 in the People’s Postcode Lottery has described how he immediately went next door – only to be met with bad news.

George Mounsey, who lives in Breaston, Derbyshire, heard the news of his enormous this week.

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His first instinct was to immediately pay next-door neighbours Paul Rowland, on one side, and Alison Browne, on the other, a visit.

It was there that he learned the disappointing news that his lottery winnings weren’t what they originally seemed.

Although the Postcode Lottery jackpot was worth £1 million, rules dictate that the sum is split between all players within that postcode.

So when George heard that Paul and Alison had also entered, as well as two other neighbours elsewhere on the street, he was forced to watch his life-changing £1 million prize plummeting to just £200,000.

George, who is married to his childhood sweetheart Margaret, said: “We didn’t know they were in it until we went round and banged on the door and asked, ‘Are you in the Postcode Lottery? Have you had a phone call?’”

Turning his thoughts to how he would spend the reduced winnings, he said: “Margaret would like a static caravan in Yorkshire somewhere. We’ll see, we may invest.”

As for this year’s Christmas, he added: “We might even get a bigger turkey!”

George and Margaret met as teenagers but rekindled their romance decades later.

 George said: “We’ve known each other since we were teenagers. When I was 15 and she was 16, we went out together for a year.

“We later got married to other people and were both widowed.

“Fifty years later we met up again in Asda and we’ve not been apart since. That’s 16 years ago now.”

Margaret tragically lost both a son and a daughter to cancer but has four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Meanwhile, Paul and Alison were delighted to have unexpectedly bagged a slice of the winnings.

Paul said: “There’s a lovely community spirit and it’s lovely to have three winners in a row.

“I was going to take my wife for a weekend away. Now it’ll be a fortnight away. What are the chances of this happening here?”

Alison added: “I don’t know what to think. This is life-changing, it really is.”

PUBS face widespread closures if hit in the Budget, an industry boss has warned — as many make just 12p profit per pint.

David McDowall has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to throw the licensed trade a lifeline next week.

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Landlords have had a 75 per cent reduction in business rates since Covid.

But that is due to end in April and losing it would cost them an extra £2.5billion, figures show.

Mr McDowall, chief exec of the Stonegate Group which includes the Slug & Lettuce and Yates’s, said publicans had faced a storm of challenges since the pandemic.

They include high inflation, soaring energy costs and pressure on consumer spending.

He noted the British Beer and Pub Association recently revealed boozers make 12p profit per pint.

Mr McDowall added: “Landlords don’t have any more to give.

“Removing that rate relief would prove very costly for pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes.”

Senior hospitality industry figures have also asked the Chancellor to extend the freeze on alcohol duty — due to end on February 1.

The Treasury said it was pledged to support businesses such as pubs.