Last week I saw the impact of this for myself. I caught that 0740 from Westbury at 0800 and it was about 70% full on arrival at Westbury (3 cars). I think that was because there is such a long gap that people from stations south of westbury are leaving earlier than they need to. Needless to say by the time we got to Bristol there wasn’t room for a hamster

Bananas galore in Orkney after store orders 38,000 by mistake


An error meant 380 wholesale boxes of bananas were delivered to Tesco in Kirkwall. Stock image.

A supermarket in Orkney has been giving away bananas after accidentally ordering an estimated 38,000 of them - almost double the entire population of the islands.

Tesco in Kirkwall had intended to order 380kg (750lbs) of the fruit but a slip-up meant it ordered 380 wholesale boxes, each containing about 100 bananas. The surplus boxes, which arrived at the weekend, would normally have been returned to the mainland but high winds and subsequent ferry disruption meant this was not possible.

A Tesco spokesperson said the superstore has now been giving the boxes away to community groups and schools across the area. An appeal was posted by Paula Clarke, Tesco's community champion, on social media, with toddler groups, football clubs and local organisations showing up at the supermarket to collect boxes.

In the comments, islanders suggested different ways for the groups to use up the fruit before it goes bad. Some proposed baking banana bread, while others considered peeling, chopping and freezing the fruit. Other comments came from school teachers sharing that they had already popped along to the supermarket to pick up a box or two.

Tesco has also arranged to send bananas out to Orkney's outer isles.

It is not the first time there has been an order blunder in Orkney in recent years. Two years ago a small independent shop in Sanday - one of Orkney's north isles - inadvertently ordered 720 Easter Eggs, rather than the 80 the owner wanted. That led to a fundraising campaign raising money for charity - but with a shorter shelf life, the Orkney banana glut will require a swifter solution.

I have become aware that at least a couple of my images posted here in the past on this particular topic (and probably others) are 'no longer available'.

This is apparently due to my placing them on 'Imgur' and linking to them here from there. However - from Imgur:

[snip]

According to a piece I read somewhere on the BBC website this morning, the USA is a net energy exporter, so pretty much unaffected....no real surprise there otherwise Trump would defo be facing trouble at the md-terms.

And......did it?

Imgur access in the United Kingdom

From September 30, 2025, access to Imgur from the United Kingdom is no longer available. UK users will not be able to log in, view content, or upload images. Imgur content embedded on third-party sites will not display for UK users.

According to a piece I read somewhere on the BBC website this morning, the USA is a net energy exporter, so pretty much unaffected....no real surprise there otherwise Trump would defo be facing trouble at the md-terms.

But no stations with those names.

According to a piece I read somewhere on the BBC website this morning, the USA is a net energy exporter, so pretty much unaffected....no real surprise there otherwise Trump would defo be facing trouble at the md-terms.

Far worse and, depending on where you are in the world, people will see the population-destabilising burden of all this falling very unevenly - even before the various mad grandpas take more swings at individual countries.

In Wales. where it is a bit warm, the Brecon Mountain Railway are offering Pant.

15:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 18:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

19:02 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 21:28 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

What was the 1970s oil crisis, and are we heading for something worse?

The month-long closure of a crucial waterway for the global energy supply has sparked warnings the world is heading for problems worse than those caused by the 1970s oil crisis.

Lars Jensen, a shipping expert and former director at Maersk, told the BBC the impact of the US-Israeli war on Iran could be "substantially larger" than the economic chaos seen in the 1970s.

His comments follow a warning from the director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, earlier this month that the world is "facing the greatest global energy security threat in history".

"It is much bigger than what we had in the 1970s, the oil price shocks. It is also bigger than the natural gas price shock we have experienced after the Russia's invasion of Ukraine," he told the BBC.

But while the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is disruptive to global supplies, others argue the world today is more resilient.

The 1970s oil crisis was "fundamentally different" from today's, as the first oil shock back then was "the result of a deliberate policy decision", economist Dr Carol Nakhle, who is also the chief executive of Crystol Energy, told the BBC.

In October 1973, Arab oil producers placed an embargo on a group of countries led by the US over their support for Israel during the Yom Kippur war. That policy came alongside a co-ordinated cut to oil production.

"The result was a near quadrupling of oil prices within a few months," Nakhle said.

This led to fuel rationing in major oil-consuming countries, and Nakhle said it triggered a "global economic and financial crisis" with lasting implications.

Dr Tiarnán Heaney, a researcher at Queen's University Belfast, said high oil prices fuelled inflation across the board, "meaning businesses cut back further and unemployment soared".

"This had massive knock-on effects that damaged the social fabric of many countries with widespread strikes, unrest, and increases in poverty as many households struggled to make ends meet," he said.

Both the US and UK had recessions that lasted from 1973 to 1975, with the crisis contributing to the downfall of Ted Heath's Conservative government in 1974.

A second oil shock came in 1979, with the Iranian Revolution.

(BBC article continues)

Easter bank holiday weekend set to be busiest on roads in four years



This Easter weekend is set to be the busiest on the roads since 2022 with almost 21 million trips planned, despite fears over rising fuel prices.

Traffic levels are expected to be "consistently high" over the long weekend, according to research by the RAC and traffic information supplier Inrix, with over a million more trips planned than last year.

The increase in car journeys is likely to be due to the number of people choosing to stay in the UK rather than head abroad this year, experts at the AA suggested.

Some 12.5 million Brits are planning an overnight trip within the UK this Easter, which is more than the 7.4 million who are set to travel abroad, according to VisitEngland.

Lee Morley, AA expert patrol, told the BBC: "Some people may have changed their plans from travelling overseas and therefore travelling closer to home." He added that there had also been a steady rise in the number of journeys each year since the relaxation of Covid restrictions.

This year, 1.9 million more Brits have planned an overnight trip in the UK for Easter weekend than last year, VisitEngland said. However, 5.1 million people told the tourist board that they were undecided, with the top reasons being the weather and finances.

Traffic is set to be at its busiest on Good Friday, according to the RAC, although levels are expected to be consistently high from Thursday, when many schools break up. Drivers have been advised to set off early in the morning, as congestion is likely to be at its worst from 10:00 BST each day between Thursday and Saturday, and on Easter Monday.

Concerns about rising fuel costs have been raised over recent weeks, with almost a third of drivers increasingly worried about the cost of petrol as the war in the Middle East continues, according to a study by the RAC. However, this has had little impact of the amount of people taking trips this Easter.

Sean Kimberlin, RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader, said: "While a significant number of drivers are concerned about rising fuel prices, a much smaller contingent are actually changing their plans this Easter as a result."

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has addressed concerns of petrol rationing, telling motorists that there was "no need to do anything other than what is normal". He added that petrol stations are "well-stocked nationally and any suggestion otherwise is incorrect".


The Port of Dover is expecting large numbers of travellers to pass through it this Easter

Rail travel will be relatively quiet over Easter weekend, according to Network Rail. The majority of routes will be open, but there is some work planned which is set to impact services.

Routes affected include:

• London Euston to Milton Keynes
• Preston to Carlisle
• Carlisle to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh
• London Waterloo to Clapham Junction and around Winchester
• Margate to Herne Bay and Ramsgate

Jake Kelly, Network Rail regional director for North West and Central, said bank holidays were "among the least busy times on the railway".

Ferries, meanwhile, are expected to be busy this weekend. The Port of Dover is preparing for an increase of traffic, and is set to welcome some 37,000 cars through the port between Thursday and Sunday. The port's chief executive Doug Bannister urged passengers not to arrive any earlier than two hours before their scheduled departure time to ensure a "smooth" process.

(BBC article continues)

Nice idea and good publicity.

Fuel rations and free buses: How countries are responding to rising oil prices