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Rick Stein’s ex-wife opens up on ‘difficult’ divorce

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The TV cook, now best known for his seafood restaurants and BBC travel series, grew up on a farm in Churchill, a small village just outside the market town of Chipping Norton.

Mr Stein later went on to study English at Oxford, further strengthening his ties to Oxfordshire alongside his upbringing in the Cotswolds.

During his time as a student, he maintained a long‑term relationship with Jill Stein OBE, who would go on to co‑found and run the business side of his restaurant empire.

READ MORE: Rick Stein ‘nearly killed’ ex-wife in crash while at Oxford University

The couple later married, remained together for many years while building their businesses, and eventually divorced after their relationship broke down.

In a recent interview with The Times, the 76-year-old opened up about their “difficult” divorce.

Ms Stein said: “We still work together. We’re very much for the business and the succession of the business to our children.

“Any marriage when it breaks up is difficult, but it was very important to me that the business continued. And it was for Rick at that time as well.

READ MORE: Idris Elba enjoys Oxfordshire farm getaway with Cotswolds trip

“It was really important that the thing that we grew together continued. It was difficult, but I got through it.

“As I said, I’m a northern girl. I’ve got northern grit. It was mine as well. We built this business together, so I was determined that I was going to stay and continue with it.”

Mr Stein began a relationship with Sarah Burns, a publicist who had worked with his company, having met in 1997 while he was still married to Jill Stein.

The affair eventually led to the end of his first marriage, and he went on to marry his second wife in 2011, with the couple now living between Australia and the UK.





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Crime & Safety

A34 traffic – motorists frustrated after another crash

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The Tuesday morning commute was hit with delays of up to an hour northbound between Chilton and the Milton Interchange for Didcot.

There was a crash on the northbound side just past the Milton entry with traffic stopped by Highways Agency officials.

Thames Valley Police was also called to help resolve the incident.

One frustrated motorist heading northbound towards Oxford said the delays meant he was 30 minutes late to work.

READ MORE: Rock star and BBC worker, 85, died in Cotswolds crash

“What’s most frustrated is the officers will rush to the crash and put out cones rather than move the vehicles blocking the road,” the anonymous motorist said.

“Once it’s established everybody is okay, the focus should be shifted to moving the accident to the side of the road so everybody else can get on with their lives.”

Although the crash, which happened at around 7.30am, had been cleared by 9am, the tailbacks were significant.

A spokesperson for National Highways said at the time: “Traffic is stopped on the A34 in Oxfordshire in both directions between A4130 Milton and A415 Abingdon due to a traffic collision.”

“There are delays in excess of 54 minutes on the approach to the area,” the agency said before traffic returned to normal at about 10am.

Oxfordshire County Council had warned drivers to “approach with caution and consider alternative routes”.





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Jeremy Clarkson issues parking warning as 30,000 descend on farm

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The Top Gear star is preparing to welcome thousands of visitors to Diddly Squat Farm Shop as the huge Cereals arable farming show arrives in West Oxfordshire.

Mr Clarkson, who opened his now-famous farm shop near Chadlington after taking over the running of his land during lockdown, has turned the site into a major tourist attraction.

READ MORE: TV legend praises Jeremy Clarkson after meeting him at Cotswolds pub

With this week’s Cereals event expected to bring even more people to the area, the 66-year-old and his team have moved to warn fans about changes to parking on and around the site.

“If you’re planning on visiting Diddly this week, then please be aware of the parking situation,” said a statement on the farm shop’s official Instagram page.

“We’re hosting a trade event, so our normal car park is shut. The overflow car park is open, but it will get very muddy if (when) it rains.

READ MORE: Countryfile legend John Craven praised by TV star in honest admission

“If you’ve got a low-profile car, a motorbike or just want to avoid the traffic, then we highly recommend visiting our shop at The Farmer’s Dog pub”

Cereals, one of the UK’s biggest arable farming trade shows, is being staged at Diddly Squat this week, bringing dozens of exhibitors, live machinery demos and talks for industry professionals.

Local residents have been warned to expect extra traffic on roads around Chipping Norton and Chadlington as visitors arrive for the multi-day event.

The two-day agricultural trade show takes place tomorrow (Wednesday, June 10) through to Thursday (June 11).





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Amazon among retailers who sold fatal fake phone chargers

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That is the warning issued by consumer group Which? following an investigation into USB phone chargers available from major retailers.

The watchdog purchased 15 chargers from seven online marketplaces and subjected them to safety testing.

It found that nine chargers, sourced from Amazon Haul, AliExpress, B&Q Marketplace, Debenhams Marketplace, and eBay, were so poorly made that they posed a risk of electric shock.

Eight of the nine also presented fire and explosion hazards.



Phone chargers pose “fatal” risk to users

Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy at Which?, said: “Badly designed electricals like these can have life-altering – even fatal – consequences.

“Online marketplaces have known about the danger of knock-off chargers for the better part of a decade, but consumers continue to be placed at risk.

“The Government must urgently use the new powers it has under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act to update product safety legislation and impose a clear legal duty on online marketplaces for ensuring the safety of products sold through their third-party sellers, with tough enforcement for those that fall short.

“By making online marketplaces legally responsible for unsafe products, the Government can set a world-leading standard for product safety in the digital age.”

The safety flaws that make these chargers illegal

All 15 chargers in the investigation were missing key information on the packaging, the charger itself, or in the documentation provided.

This omission alone makes them illegal to sell in the UK.

Further testing revealed more serious safety flaws.

One charger, sold on eBay for £11.99 and labelled as an ‘Apple’ USB-C 35W power adaptor, was identified as a dangerous counterfeit.

Which? testers heard arcing noises – a sign of electrical current jumping between circuit components – just 10 seconds into an electrical strength test.

This could potentially lead to electric shock, fire, or explosion.

Upon opening the device, researchers found a lump of modelling clay inside.

It appeared to be used to add weight and make the fake product feel more authentic.

Which? researchers found a lump of modelling clay inside one phone charger (pictured). (Image: Which/PA Wire)

One customer who bought the charger posted on the listing to say that it had ‘overloaded and ruined’ their iPad and phone, both of which had stopped charging.

Two unbranded chargers purchased from eBay for £2.10 and £2.80 were also found to be significant safety hazards, with risks of fire, explosion, and electrocution.

Amazon’s low-cost platform, Amazon Haul, sold a £6.99 USB-C charger that failed electrical safety tests and was found to be a shock and fire risk.

A £10.99 2-1 Super Fast Charger from B&Q Marketplace failed similarly, presenting a threat of explosion, fire, or electric shock.

A £9.99 Dual Port 35W charger from Debenhams Marketplace was weighted with modelling clay and failed all safety tests.

Two AliExpress chargers costing £1.30 and £5.69 were also found to pose risks of explosion, electric shock, and fire.

While chargers bought from Temu and Shein passed electrical safety checks, they lacked required UK importer details and other legally mandated markings.

Chief executive of Electrical Safety First, Lesley Rudd, said: “Counterfeiting is a very intentional act.

“The driving force is often solely about maximising profit and, in doing so, cutting corners on safety.

“Our own research into counterfeit Apple chargers found criminals filling them with metal weights to mimic the feel of genuine products.

“This introduced a serious risk of electric shock.

“Whilst we welcome the Government’s initial plans to regulate online marketplaces, a clear and legal duty of care must be placed upon those companies.

“This must be backed by robust enforcement and meaningful penalties that reflect the very real risks millions of UK shoppers are exposed to every day.”

All retailers involved stated that they prioritised customer safety, and the listings have been removed (either proactively or in response to Which?’s investigation).

Have you purchased a fake or dangerous charger from a major retailer recently? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.





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