Ocado to axe 1,000 jobs in cost-cutting drive

Organisers of a Christmas toy appeal are urging people to donate to the project if they are able to, so they can give gifts to thousands of children living in extreme hardship in north and east London. The Hackney Local Buyers Club is running its 12th annual appeal, but fear donations will drop due to…

The boss of South East Water (SEW) should not receive a bonus after tens of thousands of its customers were recently left without water, the Environment Secretary has said. David Hinton was awarded £115,000 last year on top of his £400,000 salary, and his bonus is in line to more than double this year. That…

All remaining Bodycare stores are to close with the loss of 444 jobs after the health and beauty chain’s administrators failed to find a buyer for the shops. The business, which fell into administration earlier this month, was “no longer viable to continue” trading because of “the shortage of stock and significant costs” associated with…

Michelle Lawrie samples about 32 plates of peas a day – and then has more for tea. Ms Lawrie works as a quality manager at frozen food company Birds Eye at the firm’s processing factory in Hull. She checks the condition of the harvested produce and says the long spell of warm, dry weather has…