outrageous

Sky-high air fares and peak holiday cost increases have left families cutting back to make trips abroad a reality, research has revealed.

A survey of 1,000 parents with children up to the age of 16 who holiday abroad revealed that 66% believe price hikes have made it more challenging to get away. This has led to 69% having to be inventive with their finances to make overseas trips feasible due to rising air fares.

Top tips for stretching budgets included booking flights and accommodation well in advance, packing snacks and essentials instead of buying them upon arrival, and using comparison sites to hunt for the best deals.

Research commissioned by travel insurance provider Staysure showed that families have had to slash their holiday budgets by an average of £941 in recent years, with the cost of a holiday now just over £2,800. As a result, 44% are now more likely to opt for a staycation than a trip abroad.

However, with the average family having spent nearly £300 to keep kids entertained during school holidays, even UK day trips can still put a real strain on budgets, with 57% looking for discounted tickets for theme parks and attractions.

It’s not just young families that are struggling to afford a trip abroad as 60% of over 65s also say a staycation is on the cards due to increased prices. While 75 % of this age group also look for discounted day trip and attraction tickets when entertaining the grandchildren.

A spokesperson for Staysure, which has launched a rewards scheme offering customers access to 1.4 million worldwide hotel discounts and reduced entry fees to major UK attractions for 12 months when they purchase a policy, said: “Families long for holidays abroad, and need to entertain the kids with days out but rising costs are just squeezing what’s affordable for all generations.

“With children now back in school, thoughts will naturally turn to the October half term – and how families will once again afford to keep the kids busy often relying on grandparents to help out.

“Whether it’s a trip away or days out in the UK, the desire for cost savings will only increase as people look for more creative ways to maximise budgets – it’s a tricky juggling act.”

With getaway expenses rocketing, it merely compounds the frustration of having to fork out extra to guarantee seats that keep relatives and youngsters together on aircraft, with those surveyed expressing irritation (41%) and exasperation (32%).

Meanwhile, 44% of over 65s went as far as to say they feel livid. And 40% believe it’s unjust that a youngster’s spot on a plane can cost nearly as much as an adult fare.

Of the 66% who have been forced to slash holiday expenses, it has meant compromising on dining out (32%), slashing their total spending allowance (31%), and forgoing accommodation improvements or additional perks (28%). A further 28% have also had to reduce spending on souvenirs and shopping whilst abroad to maintain strict budgets.

Of all respondents surveyed, 71% have previously enjoyed an all-inclusive break, but 75% are now more inclined to choose self-catering options due to unaffordable price increases during busy periods.

Nearly a third (30%) have removed their child from school to secure cheaper holidays, with 29% of those doing so regularly, for an average of five days each time.

And 55% believe they could be taking breaks exclusively within the UK moving forward due to rising expenses according to the OnePoll.com research.

A spokesperson from Staysure, which is providing a 20% discount on policies in September, said: “With costs creeping up at every turn it’s no wonder parents are feeling the pinch and making cutbacks to afford a family holiday.

“Many will already be counting the cost of having spent plenty of cash keeping their kids entertained over the past six weeks.

“With expensive day trips, cinema outings, excursions, and visits to theme parks all mounting up, these are areas where parents could make savings.”

TOP 10 WAYS PARENTS LOOK TO MAKE THEIR BUDGET GO FURTHER FOR HOLIDAYS ABROAD.

1. Book flights and accommodation well in advance.
2. Pack snacks and essentials to avoid buying on the go.
3. Use comparison sites for best deals.
4. Plan free or low-cost activities.
5. Use cashback and reward schemes.
6. Set a daily spending limit
7. Whip up your own meals rather than dining out.
8. Value experiences over keepsakes.
9. Jet off during quieter seasons.
10. Take advantage of loyalty points or travel vouchers.

THIS is the shocking moment a brazen thief appears to nick a Poppy Appeal charity box from a shop counter.

Footage shows the “scumbag” being served at the till before he seemingly swipes the collection pot in a split-second theft.

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In CCTV taken inside the Kent shop, the man is first shown re-positioning the charity box.

His eyes remain fixated on the money pot as he appears to detach it from its chains.

Seconds later, he lifts up the poppy-shaped box and looks to stuff it under his Nike jacket before calmly picking up a magazine.

Reacting to the outrageous footage online, some blasted the alleged crook’s actions as “vile”.

One fumed: “Scumbag. No matter how tough things are, never steal from those who need it more than you.

Another blasted: “It’s disgusting that charity boxes now need chains just to keep them safe.”

A third continued: “Absolute vile creature – hope karma bites.”

Kent Police confirmed a probe had been launched following the alleged theft.

In a statement, the force urged anyone with information or who recognised the suspect to come forward.

Locals residents suggested that the yob might be known in the community.

The Poppy Appeal provides funds for more than 90,000 veterans from all conflicts and their families.

Figures released by the Royal British Legion show the 2023 appeal raised £49.2million — up from the £42million in 2022.

Speaking on the huge figure raised, Poppy Appeal director Lucy Inskip hailed the “generosity of the general public”.

She said: “We are delighted to have raised £49.2million for the Armed Forces community.

“This achievement would not have been possible without our dedicated Poppy Appeal organisers, volunteers, partner organisations, and the generosity of the general public.

“The money raised will go towards the RBL’s vital work ensuring those who have served and sacrificed in the British Armed Forces get the support they need, whenever they need it.”

It comes after a thief was filmed casually walking away with a £150,000 violin after stealing it from a musician in a pub.

The Met Police said the instrument was stolen from a pub in Islington, North London.

Cops have asked for any witnesses to come forward and help trace the suspect, releasing CCTV images of a man who was in the pub.

The 30-year-old owner of the violin is a member of London’s Philharmonia Orchestra.

It was taken from The Marquess Tavern on February 18.

In a statement, police said: “It is incredibly precious, and for the victim, it’s priceless.”

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CRYSTAL PALACE fans have been struck by another bout of tough luck as the Premier League has rescheduled their upcoming match with Aston Villa

The match, scheduled to be held at Villa Park on Friday August 29th, has been moved to a 7pm Sunday kick-off.

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Play Dream Team now!

Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season

The move adds insult to injury following the confirmation of their demotion to the Europa Conference League for the upcoming season.

The rescheduling has been made to accommodate the second leg of the Eagles’ opening fixture of that competition.

They will face either Fredrikstad or Midtjylland on August 28th.

The decision has piled the misery on to fans who are only just coming to terms with the brutal rejection of their CAS appeal on Monday.

Some fans have taken to social media to voice their dissatisfaction with the impractical timing of the fixture.

One fan said: “7pm on a Sunday is outrageous.”

Another sarcastically pointed out the difficulties the fixture can bring travelling fans.

They said: “Oh brilliant. That will be fun with an early shift the next day.”

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The game’s 9pm finish will cause havoc for fans making the over-200-mile round trip from Selhurst Park to Villa Park.

The topsy-turvy week just keeps getting more conflicting for fans following their surprise victory over Liverpool to secure the Community Shield on Sunday.

Ecstasy made way for disappointment as news emerged of their defeat at CAS the following day.

Now news has emerged that Spurs have joined Arsenal in their pursuit of Palace talisman Eberechi Eze.

And now Liverpool have reportedly agreed terms with Palace captain Marc Guehi over a move to Anfield.

Should one or both of those deals go through, the club will be in dire shape ahead of their season opener at Chelsea this weekend.

THE MOST expensive seaside town in Britain has been “abandoned” by tourists with the implementation of an outrageous new parking fee.

It means visitors have to pay a daily parking price of £10.

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The coastal town of Salcombe in Devon has had a new parking charge of £10 introduced for day-trippers.

Locals also are required to pay £8 per day for parking, if they have the annual £5 permit.

This has triggered outrage, a notable drop in visitors according to residents.

One local business owner, Beck Gordon who owns a cafe and fishmonger’s, said: “In terms of day-trippers, if you talk about more local people, they definitely don’t come any more.”

Beck added: “It’s quieter generally.

“The parking’s definitely an issue.”

She pointed to the “absolutely ridiculous” fact that it is cheaper to get a weekly parking ticket that costs £25 or £50 than pay the car park fees, which would add up to £70.

Another cafe manager in the area revealed spending £120 of her earnings just on parking.

Salcombe was recently dubbed the most expensive seaside town in the UK, with average house prices of around £1.2 million in 2022.

Lloyds, however, revealed they did tumble by 22 per cent in the Devon hotspot to £970,657 in 2022.

It is known for its high concentration of second homes, which constitute 60 per cent of its housing stock, which are being hit by double council tax.

Despite having some of the UK’s best seafood, and being a small fishing village, it receives hardly any tourists anymore.

Councillor Julian Brazil, who is in charge of community services at the local council, stated: “We’d like to do everything to help the tourism trade and we have kept our car parking charges as competitive as possible.

“Residents of the South Hams can benefit from our discounted resident parking scheme.”

 “Many workers in Salcombe have benefited from our competitive parking permits, which offer significantly lower long-term parking compared to our pay-on-the-day rates.”

He added: “Be under no illusion, we don’t want to increase prices, but this is the best choice for us under the circumstances we find ourselves in.”

According to Brazil, the prices have been frozen for four years, and visitors are just being asked to contribute to public services.

Anti-tourist measures have been seen to be sweeping hotspots across the UK and Europe.

Officials have attempted to reduce the impact of holidaymakers by implementing additional taxes on tourists, or banning new hotels.

Earlier in the year, the Greater Manchester Mayor suggested that an existing optional fee in some Manchester city centre hotels should be replaced with a compulsory charge for visitors.

Mild mannered presenter Michael Aspel is now 92 but caused uproar in his younger presenting days

Veteran broadcaster Michael Aspel has revealed how one of his TV shows was banned by the BBC and the Government.

The mild-mannered presenter – who found fame hosting Ask Aspel and This Is Your Life – was invited to front a documentary about the horrors of nuclear war but it was deemed too graphic and realistic. The 92-year-old star now admits: “I had no idea about the uproar that was to follow.” Aspel was invited to be part of a mini-film called The War Game in 1965 to mark the 20 ^th anniversary of the American nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Director Peter Watkins wanted to show Brits the realities of what could happen if the same happened here.

The show used actors to play the victims of an atomic attack and it gave gory detailed descriptions of what would happen to their bodies before death. Aspel was asked to narrate the project which would air on the BBC and he happily agreed.

He recalls in a new BBC 4 documentary: “Now I had done a few of those before but little did I know the furore this particular film would cause.

“It was made to reflect what had happened in Hiroshima and Peter wanted to see what life might have been like in this country if we had been the victims of an atom bomb.

“Although newsreaders used to do odd jobs away from the BBC with medical films and stuff like that, I was particularly interested why the director and writer of this film would want me to be the narrator.

“And I could only suppose, because being a newsreader and perhaps being familiar to listeners as well as to viewers in that role, it would suit his film very well.

“The idea was to give the film authenticity. The director wanted to present a very ordinary community of people in this country with all the foibles of the time such as casual racism.

“The film was made to be as realistic as possible so the viewer would believe what they wee watching it as though it was a Government warning.”

However, the programme was pulled from broadcast. The BBC claims it was their decision. It had given some members of Harold Wilson’s Government a copy of the violent and graphic documentary in advance as it feared it might be seen as an advertisement for nuclear disarmament with a pacifist CND agenda. Even the ex-BBC head of documentaries – the late Huw Weldon – branded it ‘a political hot potato’.

The BBC maintains it was told it had to make the decision over whether to broadcast the show itself. And the director general at the time – Hugh Carleton Greene – shelved the show saying it was ‘so shocking and upsetting’ that he could never forgive himself if someone ‘threw themselves under a bus’ because of it.

However Aspel reveals another side to the story. He claims Peter Watkins felt ‘betrayed’ by this decision and always believed it was really The Government who banned his documentary.

The TV host – who also presented Aspel and Company and Give Us A Clue and Crackerjack – adds: “He was always sure it was Government interference that stopped the film.”

And archive footage is shown from a 1998 interview with the late Labour MP and former postmaster general Tony Benn. He admits: “Frank Soskice, who was the home secretary, ordered me to ban the programme… because it was argued this would lead to panic.

“I was only his master’s voice and had nothing to do with it (the decision) so I had to send a directive to Carleton Greene saying ‘You must not broadcast it’. I greatly regret it. I never believe in censorship.”

It took another 20 years for the film to see the light of day. The War Game was finally broadcast on the BBC to mark the 40 ^th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ironically it even won an Oscar for best documentary feature.

Aspel now says: “It is now 80 years since the bombings in Japan and 60 years since I sat in that little recording studio with no idea of the uproar that was to follow.”

* Michael Aspel Remembers.. The War Game will air on BBC 4 on Wednesday July 30 at 10pm followed by a screening of the 1965 film.

U and U&Drama’s new historical series Outrageous has scored rave reviews, but will the Mitford sisters’ story continue?

The cast of Outrageous are all keen to return for a second series of the gripping historical drama following its premiere this week.

Releasing this Thursday (19th June) on U, U&Drama and BritBox, the six-part first outing follows Nancy Mitford (played by Bessie Carter) and her five sisters’ ascent to notoriety in the 1930s.

While Nancy was becoming a reputable author and journalist, her sisters were either breaking the rules of society or rubbing shoulders with fascists.

After taking off the rose-tinted glasses for a key era of British history, will Outrageous continue the scandalous narrative in a second outing?

Acclaimed star James Purefoy, who portrays the Mitfords’ father, insists: “They’d be mad not to, I think.”

Reach chatted to Purefoy and the rest of the cast at the show’s London premiere, and enthusiasm to continue was high across the board.

“I think it’s a great show and there’s a lot more meat on these bones,” he continued. “We’re only at 1937, with loads more to come.”

Along with Bridgerton star Carter portraying Nancy, the Mitford family is brought to life by a crop of both established stars and new talent to watch out for.

In addition to Anna Chancellor portraying their dedicated mother, Joanna Vanderham and Shannon Watson portray fascist sympathisers Diana and Unity and Isobel Jesper Jones plays Pamela Mitford, who defied gender norms of the time.

Zoe Brough and Orla Hill portray the youngest sisters, Jessica and Deborah and, finally, Toby Regbo portrays the only brother, Tom Mitford.

Jones teases of a potential second season: “There is so much history to cover. It’s the tip of the iceberg, there’s so much more they go on to do.

“Pamela’s story, in particular, is so interesting beyond the 1930s. I really hope that we’ll get to do that. If anything it gets more chaotic and more outrageous.”

And Hill was equally enthusiastic to return, saying: “I would love to.

“I’m desperate to because Deborah starts to come out to society and then had a crazy, teenage… her sweet 16 was pretty [crazy], hanging out with the Kennedys.

“One of the most interesting things about Outrageous is you have all those really famous historical figures that we know just trickling in,” she added.

“Having some of that for my character’s storyline would be really fun.”

From the first episode’s surprise appearance of Winston Churchill (Robert Daws), it’s clear the Mitfords were one of the most well-connected families in Britain during the early 20th Century.

With plenty more history to cover, a second season could feature cameos galore from famous faces as well as plenty more scandalous revelations about the Mitfords.

Outrageous is available to stream on U, U&Drama and BritBox.

Love Island fans were given more information than they wanted during tonight’s Love Island as Conor Phillips shared a little too much after his trip to the hideaway

The Love Island villa is getting hotter as another couple made their way to the hideaway during Tuesday night’s episode. This season, the Islanders are free to go to the hideaway whenever they want, however there’s one rule.

The can’t go in there with the Islander they’re coupled up with. Tonight, it was Conor and bombshell Emily who made their way into the secret room – but one moment had fans threatening to turn off the TV.

Conor, who was originally coupled up with Toni now only has eyes for Emily, and after a kiss on the terrace they decided to spend the night together in the hideaway. However, fans all issued the same complaint as they were left “disgusted”.

The new couple continued their smooching session in the hideaway – but fans weren’t best impressed with the noises coming from the mic.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan penned: “i need them to turn off the mic when they kiss…” as another exclaimed: “I CANT DEAL WITH THE KISSING NOISES #loveisland!”

Emily and Conor then told the rest of the Islanders they’d shared a kiss in the hideaway – but Conor took it one step too far when he revealed he had an erection “for three hours”.

“Conor bruh we didn’t need to know that #LoveIsland,” said one along with a sick faced emoji, as another said: “conor some things should be kept to ourself!!#loveisland.”

It’s been a dramatic few days in the Love Island villa as the bombshells continue to cause a stir. Malisha and Meg clashed from the off, as Malisha took a shining to Dejon – and the feelings were reciprocated.

The two engaged in a number of disagreements – but in the end it seemed like they had made up as during tonight’s episode they pinky promised no more arguments. It came after it was revealed that Dejon had devised a game plan with Harry and Shea in last night’s challenge to make sure he got to kiss Malisha.

He wasn’t the only one in hot water however, as Harry and the boys made sure he had a kiss with Shakira, who he was previously coupled up with. 30-year-old Harry is now coupled up with Helena but declared he had “unfinished business” with ex Shakira.

It was Shea who got the brunt of the “gameplaying” however, as he told Harry and Dejon to make sure he kissed Megan – who Tommy is happily coupled up with. Tommy confronted Shea about how he wasn’t best pleased with the move – and it appeared the pair had put things behind them.

However, when the two were about to part ways – it seemed things got heated once more as the two engaged in a fiery argument – with Tommy calling Shea a “lanky lamppost”.

Love Island 2025 airs every night at 9PM on ITV2 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok ,Snapchat ,Instagram ,Twitter ,Facebook ,YouTube and Threads .