Crime & Safety
How to track Storm Dave as heavy snow and wind to hit UK
Scotland and parts of northern England are expected to be affected by Storm Dave in the coming hours.
Disruption could be seen on roads, as well as on rail, air and ferry services, so whether you’ve got travel plans or are interested in seeing where the storm is, here’s how you can track it.
⚠️⚠️ Amber weather warning issued ⚠️⚠️#StormDave brings strong winds across northern England, southern Scotland and northwest Wales
Saturday 19:00 – Sunday 03:00
Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/SFNZe404xo
— Met Office (@metoffice) April 4, 2026
How to track Storm Dave
Brits can track Storm Dave via the Met Office website today through to tomorrow.
The Met Office’s tracker allows you to see the movement of Storm Dave and the impact of the storm.
You can see the rainfall, wind gusts, cloud cover and temperature as the storm moves across the UK.
#StormDave has been named and is forecast to bring damaging winds across northern parts of the UK, with some disruptive snow possible in northwest Scotland later on Saturday and into Easter Day #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/J0NZYD2SPC
— Met Office (@metoffice) April 2, 2026
Where is Storm Dave expected in the UK?
Up to 30 centimetres of snow could fall, with the Met Office issuing a yellow severe weather warning in Scotland for heavy snow and blizzards, causing some travel and power disruption.
Meanwhile, an amber weather warning for wind has been issued for parts of northern England, Scotland and Wales tonight.
The Met Office has upgraded a severe yellow weather warning for wind to amber, meaning flying debris could lead to “injuries or danger to life”.
What different Met Office weather warnings mean
The amber warning covers parts of Lancashire, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, North Wales and Scotland, and comes into effect at 7pm this evening and is due to remain in place until 3am on Sunday.
When is Storm Dave expected to hit the UK?
The warnings are in place this evening and tomorrow morning, with the storm expected to hit during this period.
Storm Dave will hit hardest on Saturday evening, before beginning to weaken on Sunday as it moves into the North Sea.
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The Met Office has issued multiple warnings for wind covering the whole of mainland Scotland, Northern Ireland, parts of northern England and North Wales from Saturday evening into Sunday.
Greg Dewhurst, a Met Office meteorologist, said: “There is cold air across Scotland at the moment and, as the rain pushes across this afternoon, it is going to turn to snow.
“We’ll see heavy snow forming across parts of the Highlands as we go through the rest of the afternoon into the evening time and early hours, as much as 20 to 30 centimetres could fall over the higher ground, and five to 10 centimetres over lower ground.”
Will you be tracking Storm Dave? Let us know in the comments.
Crime & Safety
Stacey Solomon gives BGT golden buzzer to schoolchildren
The ITV talent show sees people from the UK and across the world audition to show off their unique talents in an attempt to impress the judges and win the £250,000 prize money.
Judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon returned to the panel for the news series, and guest judge KSI has become a permanent judge on the show following the departure of Bruno Tonioli.
While Simon Cowell featured at the start of the episode, viewers saw Stacey Solomon temporarily replace him for some of the auditions this evening.
Remember the BGT winners from 2018 to 2025
Students from Braunstone Community Primary School and their headmaster combined comedy with dancing and singing, which impressed Solomon so much she said she believed they deserved the golden buzzer.
The children meet each week at 2pm on Fridays with their headmaster, who gets them all dancing and singing together, something Alesha Dixon said “all schools should roll out because kids need this life force of music”.
What is a golden buzzer on BGT?
The golden buzzer is pressed when a judge or the hosts, Ant and Dec, want to send an act straight through to the live shows to award them for their talents.
It’s only given to a select few acts per series and it means golden buzzer acts can skip some of the other auditions.
What does the winner of BGT 2026 get?
There have been 18 winners of BGT since its first series in 2007, with magician Harry Moulding winning last year.
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The winner of BGT will take home a prize of £250,000 and will also be given the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Performance in front of the royal family.
In the ITV show’s first three years, winners won a prize of £100,000, while the biggest winners were Ashleigh and Pudsey with a prize pot of £500,000 in 2012.
Who is your favourite winner of Britain’s Got Talent from previous years? Let us know in the comments.
Crime & Safety
Starbucks UK expansion promises 75 new stores in 2026
Duncan Moir, President of Starbucks Europe, said: “In the UK, we continued to grow, opening 92 coffeehouses last year.
“We plan to open 75 more in the next year, and over the next five years, there are plans to open 500 more. This shows our confidence in the UK market.”
The company has also been expanding in other regions, opening 299 new stores last year.
The UK remains Starbucks’ biggest market in the region. Even with rising costs and strong competition, Starbucks grew its UK revenue to £556.3m last year. Customer visits rose slightly, and the average spend per customer reached £6.45.
Digital ordering and loyalty programs are proving popular.
Mobile orders are up 28%, and Starbucks Rewards now accounts for 42% of UK sales, with membership growing to 2.4 million active users.
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New stores and acquisitions
By the end of last year, Starbucks had 1,304 stores in the UK.
Starbucks is also seeing strong growth in its menu. Cold drinks sales rose 11.8%, while Matcha drinks jumped 68% in the past year.
Seasonal and limited-time drinks now make up 10% of UK sales.
Crime & Safety
Lamb costs soar in UK in last 3 years due to climate change
New analysis reveals that climate change has added £168 to the lamb bill of households that eat lamb regularly over the past three years.
The analysis, carried out by Zero Carbon Analytics for the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), links extreme weather events—including droughts, heatwaves and heavy rainfall—to rising prices.
Lamb costs soar in UK in last 3 years due to climate change
Chris Jaccarini, land, food, and farming analyst at the ECIU, said: “As families and communities sit down to celebrate this Easter, the cost of climate change is hitting home.
“Lamb prices are through the roof after droughts, extreme heat and heavy rainfall have hit farmers’ costs of production, weakening grass growth and not allowing the depleted hay stores they depend on time to recover.”
The report found that since 2022, a series of weather “shocks” in the UK have pushed up the price of a typical 2kg leg of lamb by between 7 per cent and 21 per cent each time.
These increases were linked to disrupted grass growth and depleted fodder reserves, both key factors in lamb production.
The climate impacts have also affected other products, with beef and dairy prices rising in response to similar weather-related challenges.
Mr Jaccarini said: “As the current oil price shock threatens to bring yet another round of food price inflation, without faster progress towards net zero to bring balance back to our climate, as well as more investment in the resilience of our farmers, the affordability of food is worryingly exposed to these worsening shocks.”
The analysis used Met Office data and figures from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
It found that the 2022 drought drove lamb prices up by 11 per cent, the wet winter of 2023/24 by 25 per cent, and the more recent drought conditions by 13 per cent.
The rise in cost of lamb has been attributed to climate change (Image: Getty Images)
Each of these events directly affected grass growth, the report said.
Farmgate prices in 2024 led to a £5 (17.5 per cent) increase in the cost of a lamb roast at Easter, rising to £7 (21 per cent) by the following year.
Sheep farmers are feeling the impact firsthand.
Jack Cockburn, a sheep farmer from Ceredigion in Wales, said: “Here in West Wales, extreme weather is our biggest challenge.
“We’ve had two very wet winters in a row, which has meant poor grass growth due to waterlogged soils and low light levels with the very cloudy conditions.
“This has meant lambs going to the abattoir at lighter weights and less meat per animal.”
Best Easter Egg deals in UK supermarkets
Lamb is not the only product to see price hikes, with the cost of Easter eggs also rising.
Prices have gone up by two-thirds in three years due to poor cocoa harvests caused by heavy rain, drought, and heatwaves in West Africa.
Recent grocery inflation data from Worldpanel by Numerator confirmed that the average price of an Easter egg is now nine per cent higher than last year, at £3.27.
Savings experts have analysed Easter egg prices across major supermarkets and revealed which brands have shrunk the most – and where shoppers can still get the best value in 2026.
Experts say rising cocoa costs are partly responsible, but shoppers can still find good deals if they compare prices carefully.
Research by VoucherCodes.co.uk compared prices at supermarkets including Asda, Tesco, Aldi and Marks & Spencer.
The analysis revealed several standout deals across UK supermarkets.
Top picks include:
- Cheapest branded eggs: Asda, starting at £1.40
- Best budget luxury egg: Aldi Choceur Jammy Wheel Biscuit Egg
- Best multibuy deals: Asda 2-for-£8.98 offers
Best loyalty discounts: Tesco Clubcard and Morrisons More
- Viral premium eggs: Marks & Spencer
- Cheapest Cadbury Mini Eggs: B&M
According to the research, Asda currently offers the cheapest branded Easter eggs, with popular options around £1.40 for 100g.
For shoppers wanting something a little more indulgent without spending too much, Aldi came out strongly.
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Shoppers using supermarket loyalty schemes can also unlock better prices.
Both Tesco Clubcard and Morrisons More offer discounts on mid-range branded eggs.
For fans of Cadbury Mini Eggs, the research found B&M currently offers the best value.
Its 256g bag priced at £4.89 works out cheaper per gram than smaller packs or equivalent sizes in supermarkets.
What is your favourite thing to eat at Easter? Let us know in the comments.
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