News reports located on this page = 3.

Almost ½ of Southport residents consider shopping a form of exercise!

FOR many of us, it's our wallets that get the workout when we go shopping, but it seems Brits consider a visit to the shops a form of exercise in itself...  Recent headlines have screamed how obesity in Britain is due to double by 2035. And a survey of 2,750 Brits by online shopping website Kerchingandwin.Co.UK has found that on average, nearly ½ (46%) said they consider shopping to be a form of their exercise routines (we imagine that number grows during the sales, when you have to employ your elbows and run for the tills before anyone else does…)  When broken down by gender, it was found that women are more likely to treat a shopping spree for their season's new wardrobe as part of their exercise routine than men; 51% compared to 39%. And the people who puff and pant the most as they whizz around Primark or Prada are in the East Midlands, where 54% feel they're getting fitter, and the North East (53%). 46% of Southport residents said they would consider shopping a form of exercise. So do you agree with this finding? We would love to know. We have added an online pole to our twitter feed to see what you, our readers think about this interesting view of exercise routines.

87% of drivers can't stick to 20mph speed limit

FIGURES that have been released by the Department for Transport have revealed that sticking to a 20mph limit is too much for 87% of drivers.  But some might ask:- "why do 'buffer zone' exist" and the answer is quite simple, its to help improve driver safety, as AA president Edmund King puts it:- "The last thing we want is drivers glued to the speedometer 100% of the time. We want drivers to concentrate on the road ahead."

Amanda Stretton, Motoring Editor at Confused.com says:- "Speeding is a real problem on our roads. Our own research found that 4 in 5 (79%) drivers have admitted to breaking the speed limit. There is no excuse to risk putting all road users in danger. But many motorists are confused about some rules of the road. Speed camera tolerance is a notoriously grey area and no 1 really knows if a '10% buffer zone' is actually enforceable. Although, new research found that most Police Forces have a tolerance of 10% plus 2mph above the limit. To clear up any confusion, we've outlined the threshold for each Police Force in our handy guide. Drivers can use this to see if cameras in their area have bit of leeway before they flash. We should always be sticking to the speed limit, regardless of the road type. If you do get caught, this can have an impact on your car insurance costs. Your policy could also be voided if you don't let your insurer know."

To see the table, can be located on the Confused.com's:- website. So what are your thoughts on this? Please email your views to:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com.

Make summer childcare costs easier with Tax Free Childcare

WORKING parents could be entitled to Tax Free Childcare worth up to ₤2,000 per child per year to pay towards regulated Holiday Clubs during the School Holidays. Parents can choose from more than 68,000 childcare providers that have signed up, including school and summer camps across the country. If parents pay into their Tax Free Childcare account regularly, they can 'save up' their money and use it for childcare during School holidays. For every ₤8 that families pay in, the UK Government will make a top up payment of an additional ₤2. The money saved can be put towards a whole range of other childcare options, including before and After School care when term time starts again in September 2019. The scheme is open to working parents, including the self employed, who earn between the minimum wage and ₤100,000 per year and have children aged 0 to 11 years old.

Liz Truss, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said:- "We understand making arrangements for summer childcare at this time of year is important and can be a stressful time for parents. Tax Free Childcare makes things easier, putting more money in the pockets of parents and supporting as many families as possible to secure high quality, affordable childcare. Parents should visit the Childcare Choices website and take advantage of the range of offers to help balance their work and family lives while saving money."

You can find out more and apply through the Childcare Choices website. It includes a Childcare Calculator that compares all the government's childcare offers to check what works best for individual families.