A TRAIN company in the north of England has blocked customers from finding their perfect partner during their journey.
York-based operator Northern has restricted its on-board WiFi, so it won’t allow access to dating apps and websites.
Its internet is delivered under the Friendly WiFi scheme, which blocks access to certain categories of content – including content associated with dating.
Access to websites and apps related to the following are also denied when on-board:
The Friendly WiFi scheme makes sure Northern’s on-board internet service meets minimum filtering standards as children could be present.
Northern has told customers: “This isn’t a love train.”
Matt Rice, chief operating officer at Northern, said in a statement: “We welcome millions of people on-board our trains every year – and access to safe and reliable internet is part and parcel of our customers’ expectations.
“Whilst some dating websites – and users – will operate with appropriate levels of self-moderation, some might not and it’s important that content not suitable for everyone to see or hear – particularly children – isn’t viewed on our trains.”
Some websites and apps have simply been banned because there’s sufficient bandwidth for all customers while trains are on the go.
NSFW content (not suitable for work) is also banned from its trains.
Mr Rice added: “This on-board dating app embargo aside, we wish our single customers all the best in their search for their perfect partner.”
Northern Rail is the second largest train operator in the UK, providing services to a large area of Northern England.
Its trains travel to all the major northern cities – Newcastle, Durham, Darlington, Sunderland, Middlesborough, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Preston, Blackburn, York, Doncaster, and Bradford – and 100 million passenger journeys are made on its network each year.
Surfing Tinder isn’t the only way to get people’s backs up on a train.
Etiquette expert William Hanson has revealed the snacks that all passengers should avoid, for the sake of common decency.
He told Sun Online Travel: “Most train journeys are long train journeys, so passengers will most likely bring their own food onboard.”
“People eating food loudly or eating smelly food is a big no no, you certainly don’t want to be eating things like a lamb balti, fish, boiled eggs, pungent cheeses or any citrus fruits.”
As a rule, William encouraged passengers to avoid eating anything too aromatic on train journeys.
There are several reasons why someone might be banned from trains in the UK
Misbehaving – Threatening, abusive, or offensive language, and behaving in a disorderly manner can get you banned. This includes writing, drawing, painting or fixing anything on the railway, or damaging or detaching any part of it.
Bringing prohibited items – Bringing items that may threaten, annoy, soil, or damage people or property is also not accepted. This includes items such as canoes, hang-gliders, large furniture, large musical instruments, surfboards, motorcycles and mopeds.
Being visibly drunk – You can be banned for being visibly drunk or for trying to sneak alcohol on board.
Using e-scooters – Some train companies have banned e-scooters and similar machines due to safety concerns. A fire risk could be posed by their lithium-ion batteries.
Any passenger who does fancy a slice of cheese, should eat blocks like Red Leicester, cheddar and mozzarella.
This is because these cheeses won’t pong out the carriage.
EXPERTS have blasted the decision making of the courts as “ludicrous” and slammed “two tier justice” after Huw Edwards walked free.
The veteran presenter, 63, avoided jail yesterday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and was given a six month suspended sentence for two years.
Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp.
The disgraced newsreader had faced a maximum 12 months behind bars for the offences but avoided jail despite admitting to paying the paedophile in the region of £1,500 for child sexual abuse images.
Seven of the images fell under Category A – the most serious classification – and two were said to involve a child aged between seven and nine-years-old.
Now, Jim Gamble, the former head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command Centre within the National Crime Agency, has questioned the sentencing after widespread outrage.
Speaking to Aasmah Mir and Stig Abell he said: “If Edwards came around to your house tonight and said, look, I tell you what, you go on out to the cinema tonight and I’ll look after your young children, would you let him? Because that’s the question.
“You know, if you’re not going to let him babysit for your children, why would you let him engage or look after anyone else’s children? So I think it’s time we woke up to this. These aren’t some kind of abstract image.
“They’re images of children being brutalised and raped.”
Mr Gamble added that offenders like Edwards needed to fear they would be “appropriately punished and that would reduce offending.”
He also says he “wasn’t surprised” about the judge’s decision to give Huw Edwards a suspended jail term, saying “there wasn’t a hope of him going to prison”.
Gamble added: “Less than 20 per cent of individuals who are convicted of this type of offence actually receive a custodial sentence. And that’s part of the problem, because we don’t create an active deterrent.
“I wasn’t surprised when people said to me, oh, do you think he’s going to go to prison?
“I think with the sentencing guidelines and the mitigation that was presented by his solicitors, there wasn’t a hope of him going to prison.
“This isn’t about prisons being full, because this has been a stubborn sentencing issue for at least the last decade.”
Former Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley echoed Gamble’s concerns and blasted the decision to let Edwards walk free.
He said: “Each and every one of those images that the vile Paedophile Edwards viewed, leaves behind a victim, a child victim of of sexual exploitation.
“And when people say, Is this some kind of 2 tier judicial system that we have operating, it comes as no surprise to me.
“A man who was entrusted to break the news to the nation of the passing of Queen Elizabeth Ii. Then goes on to breach that public trust in such an enormous, repugnant, and revolting way, only to walk out of court with no jail time whatsoever is utterly ludicrous.
“There is such an imbalance between what people should be getting by way of a punishment, and what they are getting by way of a punishment.
“Especially somebody who worked absolute fortunes of public money, I hasten to add and smugly walks out of court, gets in a car and disappears off to continue to enjoy his freedom.”
Meanwhile, Miriam Cates, the former Tory MP and online campaigner, also suggested that there was now a two-tier sentencing system operating in the courts.
She said: “As we have seen in recent weeks, courts are not afraid in principle to issue custodial sentences for online crimes.
“But the creation and sharing of child sexual abuse material is still seen too often as a ‘victimless crime’.”
Grace Rose Gwynne blasted the sentence as a “joke” and slammed Edwards’ mental health excuses as “nonsense”.
She said: “I think the sentence is a joke because not only was he not blocking but he was actively seeking it [indecent photos] by asking. He was offered ‘do you want young photos?’ if he and he said yes.
“I think the mitigation put forward on his behalf was a joke as well. I have never done a paedophile case where they haven’t raised mental health as an issue and so for me, it’s a cop out.
“It’s a discredit to those who genuinely suffer with mental health issues and outrageous to say that just because of mental health issues it was effectively a gateway into him becoming a paedophile. I think it’s an absolute nonsense.”
And Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said that the “public have lost faith in our institutions” after the sentencing.
He told The Telegraph: “This is not a good look for our criminal justice system when we have recently seen offenders get custodial sentences for unpleasant things said on social media.
“It is no wonder the public have lost faith in our institutions. Something doesn’t feel right.”
Brendan Clarke-Smith, a former children’s minister, added: “When such a high-profile public figure receives a non-custodial sentence for such a heinous crime, it sends out completely the wrong message to other offenders.
“Perhaps there now needs to be a review of the sentencing guidelines.
“Certainly, the public would question how this offence can avoid a jail term when others have been sent down recently for making comments on social media.”
NIGHT after night he sternly delivered the most important news to the nation, with his authoritative style winning countless awards.
But away from his famous desk, as we have discovered, Huw Edwards was a manipulative paedophile who used the same pattern of behaviour time and time again to feed his relentless desires.
Some 437 days since the Sun’s bombshell front page – Edwards today appeared in court to learn his fate, his once glittering career in ruins.
Our exclusive that he paid a youngster thousands of pounds for sexual pictures made headlines around the globe and set into motion a series of events which plunged the BBC into crisis.
And Edwards – at the time the BBC’s highest earning newsreader – never again appeared on our screens.
Today, a court heard Edwards paid a younger convicted paedophile £1,500 for child sex images and videos of children which he described as “amazing”.
The case centred on messages between sex offender Alex Williams, who was a teen when they struck up a relationship, and 63-year-old Edwards.
We must be clear, the facts of that case are unrelated to our original story.
But there are some alarming similarities in his exchanges with both young people – and a pattern of deeply disturbing behaviour.
He made contact with both on social media, messaged them on WhatsApp, harassed them for pictures, and then gave them money.
There were kisses involved and Christmas presents given.
Chillingly, he even bought both of them, who are decades younger, a pair of trainers.
And all in exchange for sexual pictures.
Cash was used as leverage to the men, one homeless, the other a student, who could only dream of earning his top salary.
What The Sun uncovered was a pattern of behaviour and had we not done so Edwards’ could well have remained undetected.
Susanna Reid was also among the high-profile figures to express her shock over Edwards’ “lenient” sentence after the presenter walked free.
The Good Morning Britain star said that the suspended sentence was a “green flag” for other paedophiles.
She said: “At the heart of this case are a series of children who have suffered the most appalling abuse. I think anybody is wondering why that is not punishable by a prison sentence.
“Huw Edwards didn’t make these images, he wasn’t in the room, but he received them and therefore anybody who receives them is involved in a cycle of the abuse of children.
“I cannot understand why the abuse of children is not punished more harshly and I think many people will be thinking that this morning.”
Edwards was given a six month suspended sentence for two years and put on the sex offenders register for seven years.
He must also attend a 40 day sex offender treatment programme and 25 rehabilitation sessions.
The court heard how Edwards was given the images in a depraved WhatsApp chat by convicted paedo Alex Williams.
Edwards had engaged in an online chat with 25-year-old Williams between December 2020 and August 2021.
During this time, the paedo sent Edwards 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children – including two videos of a boy as young as seven.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard he paid between £1,000 and £1,500 for the images, which he described as “amazing”.
It follows widespread uproar over Edwards’ £200,000 salary, after the BBC’s director general said “discussions are under way” about the possibility of claiming back the money, which the star is yet to return despite being asked.
Speaking earlier this month at a House of Lords committee, Tim Davie said: “We’ve made the formal request and I can’t go into too much detail but discussions are under way.
“The money should be returned and we made the request.”
THOUSANDS of households ineligible for the winter fuel payment during the qualifying week can still secure this vital benefit due to a little-known loophole.
Previously available to everyone aged 66 and above, the winter fuel payment helps with high energy costs during the coldest months.
However, recent cuts by Chancellor Rachel Reeves mean that 10million pensioners will no longer receive the benefit, worth up to £300, this winter.
Now, the payment is limited to retirees on pension credit or those receiving certain other means-tested benefits.
This includes state pensioners claiming income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance, income-related employment support allowance, tax credits, or Universal Credit.
To qualify for this year’s winter fuel payment, you must have an active claim for any of these benefits during the qualifying week, which runs from September 16 to 22 (this week).
Over 800,000 households are missing out on pension credit, which unlocks their eligibility for this year’s winter fuel payment.
You might assume that if you don’t apply for it before the end of the week, you won’t qualify for this year’s payment.
However, thanks to a little-known loophole, this is not the case.
This is because new claims for pension credit can be backdated by up to three months.
This means that the absolute deadline to claim the benefit and qualify for this year’s winter fuel payment is December 21.
Of course, if you fail to apply for the benefit before this date, you won’t qualify for this year’s £300 winter fuel payment.
Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to £218.15 if you are single or to £332.95 if you have a partner.
This is known as “guarantee credit”.
If your income is lower than this, you’re very likely to be eligible for the benefit.
However, if your income is slightly higher, you might still be eligible for pension credit if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or you have housing costs.
You could get an extra £81.50 a week if you have a disability or claim any of the following:
You could get the “savings credit” part of pension credit if both of the following apply:
This part of pension credit is worth £17.01 for single people or £19.04 for couples.
Pension credit opens the door to other support, including housing benefits, cost of living payments, council tax reductions and the winter fuel payment.
Claims for pension credit also open doors to a number of freebies and discounts.
For example, pension credit claimants over 75 qualify for a free TV licence worth up to £169.50 a year.
Claims for the benefit also provide eligibility to £25 a week cold weather payments and the £150 warm home discount.
We have a guide on all the state pension freebies and discounts you can get.
YOU can start your application up to four months before you reach state pension age.
Applications for pension credit can be made on the government website or by ringing the pension credit claim line on 0800 99 1234.
You can get a friend or family member to ring for you, but you’ll need to be with them when they do.
You’ll need the following information about you and your partner if you have one:
You can also check your eligibility online by visiting www.gov.uk/pension-credit first.
If you claim after you reach pension age, you can backdate your claim for up to three months.
Payments last year were worth between £300 and £600, depending on your specific circumstances.
This is because the amount included a “Pensioner Cost of Living Payment” – between £150 and £300.
This year, it will be worth £200 for eligible households or £300 for eligible households with someone aged over 80.
That means you could receive up to £300 in free cash depending on your circumstances.
Most payments are made automatically in November or December.
You’ll get a letter telling you:
If you do not get a letter or the money has not been paid into your account by January 29, 2025, you must contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0800 731 0160.
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can 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.
MARRIED At First Sight bride Charlie Curtis’ reality TV past has been revealed.
The 30-year-old, who is described on the E4 series as a lettings operation coordinator from Surrey, actually found fame on a small-screen Amazon Prime series with US actress Lindsay Lohan, 38.
Back in 2022, she starred in eight episodes of Lovestruck High, where 15 UK singletons headed to a typical American High School setting in an attempt to find romance.
The show, which also featured Junaid Ahmed, 29, from TOWIE, even saw the cast heading back to Prom.
At the time, she admitted she was “definitely open” to more opportunities within the TV world.
“I love to talk to people, chat to people, I think I just want to maybe raise some money for charities and do stuff to help other people, that’s sort of where I want to go in my journey,” she told Reality Titbit.
Now, two years later, she’s attempting to find her happy ever after on MAFS.
Prior to enter the matchmaking show, she said coming out as gay at 25 was “one of the most significant moments” in her life.
She told how she had been single for four years following a difficult break up and hopesd the MAFS experts will help her find more than a ‘situationship’.
She said: “I’m at the age now where I want to settle down.”
Previously, the brunette described herself as “a typical lesbian” who would be “falling head over heels for the first person she saw.”
Charlie’s bride on MAFS hasn’t yet revealed, yet she is expected to be paired with Eve.
Aged 26, lifeguard and fitness fanatic Eve realised she was gay and has had one serious relationship since then.
She said she is now ready to find her special someone.
Prior to entering the experiment, Omagh-born Eve said: “I want to find somebody that I fall in love with and I want somebody to fall in love with me.”
Here's who you can expect in the Mafs 2024 cast:
Meanwhile, the 2024 instalment of the series has kicked off in style.
One bride was left in tears as she discovered her groom lived in a caravan in the woods – yet it transpired they were, in fact, happy tears.
Meanwhile groom Caspar was preoccupied with the fact his bride Emma reminded him of his twin sister.
