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EXPERTS have revealed the hidden sign your car is on the verge of an eye-wateringly expensive breakdown.

Motors whizz Just Kampers have revealed new tricks to motorists to help prevent your car from letting you down as the winter chill continues to bite.

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A motors expert has revealed the key sign your car could be on the verge of a costly breakdown[/caption]

The cold months can have a big impact on your vehicle’s battery.

Car batteries use a chemical process that produces and stores electricity.

But cold weather can affect this, slowing down the key part and stopping it from holding a charge.

With all of this done, it’s time to take a look at your battery and make sure it’s still in good shape.

“Some older VWs like the T2 Bay have a bit of an infamous habit of leaking battery acid, which then corrodes the battery tray located to the side of your engine,” the expert said.

“Gnarly blueish crystals forming on the terminals, or damaged metalwork under your battery, are a sign that your vehicle’s battery might be due a replacement.

“All automotive batteries have a fixed shelf life, so try to think when yours was last replaced and whether it might be nearing the time to consider a new one.

“Your vehicles battery is a fairly major component, and having it give out on you is a massive inconvenience, even if it is relatively simple to fix.

“If you’ve disconnected your VW’s battery because it’s been in storage for the winter, then it shouldn’t have lost too much juice since then.”

Scooping a fresh car battery can set you back hundreds of pounds.

Factors such as your car’s make and model, driving style, the size and shap can all impact the price point, but motorists can usually expect to fork out between £100 and £300 for a new one, according to ProTyre.

What you can do to check your battery

The RAC recommends charging your battery once a week if your car is regularly used for short trips throughout the winter.

Halford recommends cleaning the battery often and checking its water levels.

If battery plates are exposed, it means your water level is low and needs filling with distilled water.

If you want to check to make sure your battery is still running smoothly, you can do it yourself using a multimeter or you can take it to a local garage and have a professional take a look.

If you aren’t using your car often enough during the colder periods, sporadically turn your car on, just to make sure the battery is still running.

And it’s not just your battery you need to regularly check during the colder weather to avoid a breakdown.

The RAC uses the acronym FORCES, reminding drivers to keep check of their fuel, oil, rubber, electrics and screen wash.

Most drivers will have a pretty good idea of how much fuel they have left in the tank but check it daily to make sure you have enough for your journey.

Oil is commonly forgotten about and needs checking regularly.

Double-check the wear and tear of your tyres and wiper blades to make sure they’re ready for action.

Coolant levels need to be kept an eye on so the engine doesn’t freeze.

Make sure all lights are working, it’s hazardous to be on the road with any faulty lights.

No one wants a dirty screen, so keep your screenwash nice and topped up.

If you want extra tips for checking your car over the winter period, read our six top tips to avoid breaking down.

Driving in winter conditions isn’t always easy and cars need to be kept safe against snow and ice.

DUNNES Stores fans are set to love a major trench coat dupe after it landed on racks – and it’s €195 cheaper.

The Gallery Alexa Double Breasted Belted Trench Coat is available in stores and online now.

It is priced at €50 and comes in sizes XS to XL.

Dunnes wrote: “Crafted with impeccable attention to detail, this classic, double-breasted trench coat from Gallery features notch lapels, gleaming gold buttons, and a detachable tie belt that cinches the waist.

“Designed with a single back vent for ease of movement and adjustable button-tab cuffs for versatile styling, this fully lined coat ensures comfort and durability.

“Gallery is available exclusively at Dunnes Stores.”

The trench coat is a great dupe for the Sezane version – which is priced at €245.

The designer piece is described as a “trench coat with tie belt, raglan sleeves, button tabs at shoulders and cuffs, back slit with button.”

Meanwhile, Dunnes Stores is making it easy for shoppers to start in the gym this year – with their gorgeous activewear range.

The range features some stunning pieces including jackets, flattering leggings and additional items.

With bargain prices, shoppers are rushing to the tills to pick them up.

One shopper has tried some of the new range, and shared her opinion on social media.

TikTok user Lauren Egerton shared a short video to the platform for her followers.

In the caption of her post, she wrote: “I got a few new pieces from Dunnes Stores and I decided to wear a few of them today! These are all still available to purchase, even the rest that I showed you!”

At the beginning of the video, she can be seen wearing a luxury pair of black pyjamas from Dunnes Stores, with white lining along the edges.

The set costs just €20 in total.

Lauren said: “A very basic outfit for today, it’s only Tuesday. I’m actually off, but I might take myself somewhere nice.”

“I have new bits, they’re very basic.”

The first thing she shows off is a stunning khaki-coloured padded jacket that is perfect for the cold weather.

Holding it up, she said: “Has anyone else bought these jackets in Dunnes?”

She notes that she bought it two weeks ago in black, but went back to buy the second colour.

The Hooded Quilt Jacket comes in four colours: black, blue, khaki, and winter white.

It is available in sizes XS to XXL, and is set to fly off the shelves as it costs just €30.

In the official item description on the Dunnes Stores website, fashion chiefs wrote: “Designed in a diamond-quilted texture, this jacket has a high neck, zip pockets, dipped hems, and a hood.

“Lightweight and shower-resistant, it’s a great option for transitional weather.”

TONIGHT’S episode of EastEnders sees Cindy Beale’s family on the brink of collapse in the latest twist.

The long-running BBC One character was shockingly attacked on the Christmas Day special.

BBC

Cindy’s world was rocked once again with fresh accusations[/caption]

BBC

Junior just wanted to join the rest of his family in Dubai away from Walford[/caption]

BBC

He dropped an extraordinary accusation onto Gina[/caption]

A whole list of suspects have been at the centre of attention as they might be the person behind the attempted murder.

On tonight’s episode, it was revealed that the police have decided to drop the charges against Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa).

They have ruled that there was not enough evidence against her, just as Cindy (Michelle Collins) received another death threat.

As she stayed with Reiss (Jonny Freeman), a mystery person threw a brick through the window with a menacing warning.

On EastEnders, the suspicion shifted to Junior Knight (Micah Balfour), who just wanted to go back to Dubai and be with his family.

However, Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) was feeling the pressure as she was behaving in an odd manner.

She was seen by her sister Anna (Molly Rainford) to be in a hushed and tense conversation with Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway).

He issued a threat, saying that if he didn’t get a mystery payment of money by the next day, he would put interest on the repayment.

However, Anna and Junior burst through the door of the Vic’s storage room to demand answers.

Junior then stunned the whole pub into silence when he ran back to the main bar to expose Gina.

All the other customers looked on as he stated: “It was Gina. Gina threw the brick through the window.”

Elaine (Harriet Thorpe) was behind the bar and her widened as her step-daughter was accused of trying to kill her own mother.

This was as Cindy stood still, seemingly in a mixture of both shock and disbelief as Ian’s jaw was left practically on the floor.

He added: “She’s the one that attacked Cindy.”

Fans were also in absolute shock as they took to social media in their droves.

Writing on X – formerly known as Twitter – one viewer exclaimed: “Gina & Harry was not on my bingo card.”

While second sceptic fan asked: “Gina did it??.”

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The police dropped their investigation into Lauren Branning[/caption]

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Elaine looked shocked by Junior’s dramatic entrance as the pub was stunned into silence[/caption]

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He accused Cindy’s daughter of attacking her in front of the whole pub[/caption]

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Junior seemed to be at the top of the suspect list after recent events[/caption]

EastEnders continues on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.

THE mother of Gareth Hutch has told how her son’s murder in an ambush outside his home over eight years ago was “a violent and callous crime with no value or thought given for a life”.

In a statement read out at a sentencing hearing for the fourth person to be convicted of the murder of Gerard ‘The Monk’ Hutch’s nephew Gareth Hutch, Vera Hutch said her son was “senselessly and cruelly taken” from her family in May 2016, tearing her life apart and changing their world “forever”.

Paul Sharp - Commissioned by The Sun Dublin

CCTV

Having heard the victim impact statement from Mrs Hutch, in the Special Criminal Court, presiding judge Mr Justice Alexander Owens sentenced Thomas ‘Nicky’ McConnell to the mandatory term of life imprisonment, backdating it to July 20 2020, when he was taken into custody by Turkish authorities and then extradited back to Ireland.  

Last December, McConnell became the fourth person to be found guilty of the murder of Mr Hutch in an ambush in Dublin over eight years ago, following a verdict by the Special Criminal Court.

Revealing the verdict of the three-judge court last month, Mr Justice Owens said that the evidence showed, beyond reasonable doubt, that McConnell was the second assassin in the attack along with Jonathan Keogh, who followed Gareth Hutch from his home and shot him dead.

When passing judgement the court found that Keogh’s gun discharged a number of bullets at close range that caused the injuries which killed Mr Hutch.

McConnell’s gun was later found to have the safety catch on and did not fire any rounds during the assassination.

However, the court found that even if McConnell deliberately left the safety catch on, his other actions in preparation for the shooting showed that he was part of a common design with Keogh and others to commit murder and his actions were intended to result in Mr Hutch’s death.

Vera Hutch, whose victim impact statement was read to the court by Detective Garda Liam Lee, said she had the “privilege and honour of being Gareth’s mother for over 35 years before he was senseless and cruelly taken from” his family.  

She said: “Standing here in front of you today with my life torn apart, our world changed forever. Losing Gareth has caused my heart and all our families hearts to be broken, nothing can ever repair the emptiness that his death has caused.”

At today’s sitting of the non-jury court, Det Gda Lee told prosecution counsel Fiona Murphy SC that McConnell has 105 previous convictions including those for assault, threatening to kill and causing serious harm as well as possession of knives.

McConnell, 39, of Sillogue Gardens, Ballymun, Dublin 11 had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Gareth Hutch, 36, on May 24, 2016 at Avondale House, North Cumberland Street, Dublin 1.

FOURTH PERSON CONVICTED

He is the fourth person to be convicted of the murder. In November 2018 the Special Criminal Court found Regina Keogh, 47, of Cumberland St North, Dublin 1, Jonathan Keogh, 39, with an address at Gloucester Place, Dublin 1 and Thomas Fox, 32, with an address at Rutland Court, Dublin 1 guilty of the murder of Mr Hutch.

McConnell’s trial began in 2023 but was postponed for 16 months, firstly when one of the judges was unable to continue and then as the court awaited a Supreme Court ruling in a separate case.

McConnell’s trial continued after the Supreme Court found in that case that traffic and location data relating to mobile phones could be used as evidence, even though the data was harvested using a now-invalidated law.

The trial heard that McConnell and Jonathan Keogh used an apartment opposite Gareth Hutch’s home as a lookout spot and when Mr Hutch emerged from his front door, they followed him and shot him dead.

Mary McDonnell, who lived at the lookout apartment, told the trial in June 2023 that she could identify Jonathan Keogh because she had known him for many years but she did not know the second man.

When asked to identify the second man from CCTV footage showing Mr McConnell in a shop later the same day, she said she was “not really one hundred per cent” and that she was “half and half”.

COURT EVIDENCE

Mr Justice Owens said last month that Ms McDonnell’s evidence could not be used to prove McConnell was the second gunman.

The court instead relied on mobile phone data linking McConnell to the other murder plotters, CCTV footage connecting McConnell to various vehicles used in the plot, and lies told by the accused to gardai that were indicative of guilt.

In particular, the court was satisfied that McConnell parked a black BMW in front of Avondale House with the intention of using it as the getaway car. Following the shooting, Keogh and McConnell got into the BMW but could not get it started.

They then ran to a Skoda Octavia, which the court said had also been parked nearby by McConnell that morning. They left the scene in the Octavia.

When gardai searched the BMW, they found McConnell’s DNA, a can of petrol and two changes of clothes that prosecution counsel Fiona Murphy SC said marked it out as a getaway car. McConnell would later lie to gardai that he had sold the BMW to a man who was similar looking to himself.

Mr Justice Owens said this “yarn” was told to hide McConnell’s guilty role in the murder plot.

In reaching its verdict, the court relied on further lies told by the accused and emails on a phone linked to McConnell which showed he had an “intimate knowledge of the murder”.

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LUKE LITTLER has admitted he would like to meet Emma Raducanu after she floated the idea of meeting up.

Littler, 18, shares common ground with tennis whiz Raducanu in that both burst onto the scene as teen prodigies.

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Luke Littler has said he wants to meet up with Emma Raducanu[/caption]

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Raducanu first floated the idea after he won the World Darts Championship[/caption]

Raducanu shattered expectations when she won the US Open in 2021 as an 18-year-old.

Littler similarly defied belief when he made it all the way to the final of the World Darts Championship in 2024 at the age of 16, where he was defeated by Luke Humphries.

Of course, the Nuke has since gone on to become the world champion after going one better earlier this month and propping himself up to World No.2 after winning over ten titles in the year.

Canadian-born Raducanu, now 22, said she would “love” to meet-up following Littler’s Alexandra Palace win over Van Gerwen.

She said: “Amazing respect to him.

“Big time [interested in meeting Littler]. I’d love to meet any top athletes and top individuals who have succeeded in their fields.”

Littler has now given his response to that invite but admitted he isn’t all that familiar with Raducanu’s own world-conquering exploits.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “We [he and Raducanu] have had no involvement as of yet.

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“I didn’t know much about her but I know she won what she did at a young age. I’m sure her social media team or mine will be in touch. And I’d like to meet up.”

Radacanu – searching for a seventh coach in her pro career after Nick Cavaday stepped down to focus on his health – has the advantage of some advanced years of wisdom compared to Littler.

She offered some advice about being in the spotlight, saying: “Not much prepares you for that.

“You feel like you’re constantly a bit on edge because you’re being followed [by photographers] or something.

“But I think the biggest part is the judgment and the comments about every single decision that you make.

“That for me was really difficult to deal with, to try and desensitise myself to and just understand that it comes with the territory you’re in.

“But I think trying to stay away from that and keep on my path has probably been the biggest adjustment for me.”

Despite both being willing to meet up, it will need to be at a time when their busy schedules align.

Raducanu is set to be back in action at the WTA 250 in Singapore which starts today and runs through until February 2.

Meanwhile, Littler will be in action at the Winmau World Masters in Milton Keynes running until February 2 before the first night of the Premier League gets underway on February 6.

A MAJOR warning has been issued to homeowners following the tragic death of an Antrim man.

Police in Northern Ireland have issued a major warning against the use of portable generators following power outages from Storm Eowyn.

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Getty Images - Getty

This comes following the death of an Antrim man on Sunday.

Emergency services were called to the scene of an incident near the Ballymacrea Road area of Portrush on Sunday morning.

It is understood that a man in the Portrush area died following possible exposure to fumes from a generator.

Households are now being warned over using portable generators to power their homes after thousands remain without power.

ESB Networks reported this morning said around 246,000 customers are still without power following impacts from Storm Eowyn.

Crews have restored power to 522,000 customers after outages peaked at 768,000 on Friday morning.

Due to severe outages, some homes and businesses may not see power return until later in the week.

Around 65,000 people in Northern Ireland are still without power, with Northern Ireland Electricity warning that it could be February 3 before a full restoration.

Many homes across the country are availing of portable generators to ensure some power is restored.

The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland warned that the use of home generators come with a number of dangers.

They said: “Do not assume that you are safe.

“Carbon monoxide from generators is completely colourless and odourless, so you won’t know if it’s there.

“It could kill your family and your pets.”

They went on to issue advice for the use of these generators, advising homeowners to not use them indoors or in enclosed spaces.

This includes homes, garages and crawl spaces, as well as areas with partial ventilation.

They say they should also not be operated near open doors and windows.

Using fans within the home while generators are operating will also not prevent a build up of carbon monoxide.

The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland said that all homes should have a battery-powered carbon monoxide alarm fitted to alert of any harmful or dangerous levels.

These alarms should always be fitted as per the manufacturer’s recommendations.

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A DAD who claimed he was “play-fighting” with his 14-year-old daughter when he stabbed her to death has been found guilty of murder.

Scarlett Vickers suffered catastrophic blood loss after the blade was plunged 11cm into her chest and pierced her heart.

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Scarlett Vickers suffered catastrophic blood loss from the 11cm wound[/caption]

PA

The blade penetrated Scarlett’s heart[/caption]

Her dad Simon Vickers, 50, has been found guilty of murdering his teen daughter at their home in Darlington, Co Durham, on July 5.

The monster claimed he and Scarlett were just “messing about” when he accidentally threw the blade at her.

But Teesside Crown Court heard the 11cm wound was too deep to have been a tragic mistake.

The heartless dad also attempted to claim that he was the victim after his daughter died in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor.

After his arrest, Vickers told police: “That was it. We were horse-playing.

“I must be the unluckiest man in the world.”

Vickers claimed the playfight started when he and Scarlett began throwing grapes at each other while mum Sarah Hall made dinner.

He said he went to “try and get her” but his daughter tried to push him away so he grabbed the tongs and chucked them.

The dad continued: “She just shouted ‘ah, ah ah’ and fell to the floor.

“Her lips were going bluer and she wasn’t listening when I was shouting at her.

“Sarah took over and the ambulance came and, f***ing hell.”

Vickers described his only child as the “love of my life” and told police his world had “gone to s***”.

He also denied telling paramedics at the scene that he picked up a knife and that it “just went in” after Scarlett “lunged towards me”.

The dad added: “There is no way in the world I would stab my child. I threw those tongs at her.

“I want to die myself. My only child – I don’t know what to say. I can’t even cry. I don’t even know what’s wrong.”

The court heard the dad gave “three different accounts at least before his formal police interview” of what happened.

Prosecutor Mark McKone KC said Vickers must have stabbed his daughter “deliberately with the knife”.

He told jurors the injury inflicted to Scarlett “could not have been caused by throwing the knife or indeed by throwing anything else.”

During her evidence, Scarlett’s mum Sarah Hall said she believed it was an accident and her partner of 27 years would never harm their daughter.

Vickers, who denied murder, has been remanded into custody to be sentenced at a later date.

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Scarlett was discovered dead at the family home[/caption]

Durham Constabulary

The teen’s dad claimed he was the victim[/caption]

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