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Good To Go? UK Government confirms traffic light list

International leisure travel from England no longer illegal from 17 May 2021 but strict border control measures will remain in place

  • UK government confirms international travel can gradually resume from 17 May, as 12 countries and territories are added to the ‘green list’
  • strict rules on testing and quarantine will remain in place to protect public health and our vaccination programme, while people should not travel to ‘amber’ and ‘red’ countries for leisure
  • international travel will be different as passengers are warned to expect additional checks and longer queues at the border

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has today (7 May 2021) announced that international travel can begin to safely reopen from 17 May, allowing people to go on foreign holidays to green list countries.

The ‘Stay in the UK’ regulation will lift on 17 May, meaning leisure travel from England will no longer be illegal.

However, speaking at a No10 press conference this afternoon, the Transport Secretary outlined how strict border control measures will remain in place as international travel gradually resumes. Different levels of restriction will be applied to individuals returning to England from countries based on the traffic light system set out by the Global Travel Taskforce.

People are being guided on where they can safely visit without needing to quarantine on return to England – starting with the additions of Portugal including the Azores and Madeira, Israel and Jerusalem and Singapore among others to the ‘green list’. They will still need to take a pre-departure test up to 72 hours before their return travel, and a single PCR test on or before day 2 of arrival into England – this can be booked in the same way as is in place now, through private test providers.

Our priority remains to protect public health, which is why the ‘green’ list is currently very small, with only 12 countries and territories. As the epidemiological situation improves worldwide, it is expected that there will be more opportunities for leisure travel with a greater number of destinations added.

In total, 12 countries and territories have been added to the green list. Some of these include: Portugal including the Azores and Madeira; Australia; New Zealand; Singapore; Brunei; Iceland; Faroe Islands; Gibraltar; Falkland Islands; and Israel and Jerusalem.

However, many ‘green list’ countries will continue to place restrictions on UK travellers, including quarantine measures, so passengers are encouraged to check all requirements and FCDO travel advice before they book any foreign travel.

Given that the virus is still spreading in many parts of the world, people should not be travelling to amber and red countries for leisure. 10-day managed hotel quarantine requirements will remain in place for those permitted to return to England from ‘red’ countries, and quarantine at home alongside stringent testing will be required for those returning from ‘amber’ destinations.

Countries have been allocated by ministers according to the latest scientific data, so quarantine and testing requirements on return from those countries are appropriate to the risk of coronavirus and variants of concern.

The lists will be reviewed every 3 weeks, informed by public health advice, including the Joint Biosecurity Centre’s assessment of the latest data. These regular review points will allow the government to balance helping the public to understand COVID requirements when travelling to England while allowing us to constantly evaluate the risk for different countries.

The government will also be publishing a green watchlist in the future, to provide an indication when a country is identified as a candidate for a changing country. All measures will be kept under review and further action may be taken to protect public health.

Countries will decide whether they require proof of COVID vaccination for entry, and it is the traveller’s responsibility to check individual requirements. If needed, people in England who have both vaccine doses will be able to demonstrate their COVID vaccination status via the NHS app from 17 May.

Those without access to the app can request a letter from the NHS proving their vaccination status by calling 119, from 17 May.

Test results will not be stated in the app and the process for booking and presenting test results for travel remains unchanged. The government is working with the devolved administrations to ensure this facility is available to everyone across the UK.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Today marks the first step in our cautious return to international travel, with measures designed above all else to protect public health and ensure we don’t throw away the hard-fought gains we’ve all strived to earn this year.

“This is a new way of doing things, and people should expect travel to be different this summer – with longer checks at the borders, as part of tough measures to prevent new strains of the virus entering the country and putting our fantastic vaccine rollout at risk.”

On top of this, to continue protecting the country against new variants of coronavirus, from 4am Wednesday 12 May, the Maldives, Nepal and Turkey will be added to the red list.

When travel does restart, it will be different, most notably when returning to the UK. Reopening international travel, while maintaining 100% health checks at the border, means longer waits are likely – passengers from any destination will still be required to fill out a Passenger Locator Form (PLF), and show proof of a pre-departure test negative result.

While holidaymakers may notice longer than usual queues, it is vital we maintain our stringent border checks – which are among the toughest in the world – to prevent new strains of the virus entering the country and putting our vaccine roll out at risk.

The government is constantly trying to improve processes to make them as efficient as possible to minimise wait times, and will be committing to increasing Border Force resources to manage increased demand. This includes deploying additional Border Force officers where high volumes of passengers are expected.

Border Force will be checking that arriving passengers have complied with current health measures, and passengers can help reduce delays by completing all necessary requirements before entering the country.

We continue to urge airlines to carry out all necessary checks or risk facing fines of £2,000 for each passenger they carry who does not have a valid Pre-Departure Test Certificate, and £2,000 for each passenger who does not have a completed PLF.

The government will also continue with plans to integrate health measure checks into our border system and enabling checks to take place at e-gates in major ports during Summer 2021. Following the UK exit from the EU and the end of the Transition Period, UK citizens will be subject to additional checks upon entering EU countries.

If travelling abroad, you need to take steps to keep safe and prepare in case things change while you are there. Check and subscribe to FCDO travel advice updates to understand the latest entry requirements and COVID 19 rules.

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “Thousands of people will now be looking to arrange a long-awaited holiday or visit loved ones overseas. Travellers will have an expectation that these new government rules should protect their health and their money, yet serious issues around lengthy airport queues and a broken testing system remain unresolved.

“Travellers should also be aware that there is still some financial risk involved in booking travel plans, depending on how you book and which company you choose. Several holiday companies and airlines remain under investigation for breaking the law last year, and some have indicated they may do so again.

“In a summer when further disruption can be expected, travel companies must be honest about the risks holidaymakers may be taking on. Crucially, holidaymakers also need to do their research before booking, as choosing the right provider could be the difference between getting hundreds of pounds back or just getting the runaround.”

Millions with old routers at risk of being hacked in their homes

Millions of internet users could be at risk of hacking attacks due to using outdated routers from their broadband providers that have security flaws, a Which? investigation has found. 

Households across the country are using their home broadband more than ever, to work, educate their children or keep in touch with loved ones.

But many are unaware that old equipment provided by internet service providers (ISPs), including EE, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Vodafone, could be putting them at risk of hackers spying on what they are browsing online or even directing them to malicious websites used by scammers.

Which? investigated 13 old router models and found more than two-thirds – nine of them – had flaws that would likely see them fail to meet requirements proposed in upcoming government laws to tackle the security of connected devices.

The legislation is not yet in force and so the ISPs aren’t currently breaking any laws or regulations.

The consumer champion’s lab testing identified a range of issues with the routers. These security risks could potentially affect around 7.5 million people, based on the number of respondents who said they were using these router models in Which?’s nationally representative survey.

Around six million people within this group of users could be using a router that has not been updated since 2018 or earlier. This means the devices have not been receiving security updates which are crucial for defending them against cyber criminals.

The problems uncovered by Which?’s lab tests on the old router models that failed were:

  • Weak default passwords, which in certain circumstances could allow a cyber criminal to hack the router and access it from anywhere;
  • a lack of firmware updates, which are vital for both security and performance;
  • a local network vulnerability issue with the EE Brightbox 2. This could give a hacker full control of the device, and for example allow them to add malware or spyware, although they would have to be on the network already to attack.

The survey also suggested that 2.4 million users haven’t had a router upgrade in the last five years.

Which? is concerned that many customers are being left using old kit, often with no guarantee of an upgrade, and is encouraging consumers in this position to talk to their broadband provider about getting an upgrade.

In contrast to the other ISPs, the old BT and Plusnet routers that Which? tested all passed the security tests – researchers didn’t find password issues, a lack of firmware updates or a local network vulnerability with these devices.

When Which? contacted the ISPs with its findings, most of them said that they monitor for security threats and provide updates if needed.

BT Group told Which? that older routers still receive security patches if problems are found – although Which? did find an unfixed vulnerability on the EE (part of the BT Group) Brightbox 2 router.

Aside from Virgin Media, none of the ISPs Which? contacted gave a clear indication of the number of customers using their old routers. Virgin said that it did not recognise or accept the findings of the Which? research and that nine in 10 of its customers are using the latest Hub 3 or Hub 4 routers.

However Which? notes that Virgin was counting just paying account holders, whereas Which?’s survey was of anyone using routers within a household.

Which? believes that ISPs should be more upfront about how long routers will receive firmware and security updates – one of the requirements of proposed government laws to tackle unsecure devices – and encourage people to upgrade devices that are at risk.

As part of its proposed legislation to tackle unsecure devices, Which? is also calling for the government to ban default passwords and also prevent manufacturers from allowing consumers to set weak passwords that may be easily guessable and hackable.

The consumer champion also believes broadband providers should be ready to respond when security researchers warn them about possible issues – and should make it easy for researchers to contact them. Only Sky, Virgin Media and Vodafone appeared to have dedicated web pages for this.

Consumers with routers that are five years old or more should ask their provider if the device is still supported with security updates and if it is not they should ask for an upgrade.

Kate Bevan, Which? Computing editor, said: “Given our increased reliance on our internet connections during the pandemic, it is worrying that so many people are still using out-of-date routers that could be exploited by criminals.

“Internet service providers should be much clearer about how many customers are using outdated routers and encourage people to upgrade devices that pose security risks.

“Proposed new government laws to tackle devices with poor security can’t come soon enough – and must be backed by strong enforcement.”

Holiday firms suggest they will break the law on refunds again

With hopes of a return to holidays abroad within weeks, some package providers that broke the law last year are still misleading customers over their right to a refund and other financial protections, according to a new investigation from Which?.

Ahead of the government revealing the ‘green’ list of countries that travellers can visit without the requirement for quarantine on their return, Which? mystery shopped six of the UK’s biggest package travel operators to find out if customers making new bookings will get their money back if lockdowns or quarantine prevent them from travelling.

Which? spoke to three agents each from Love Holidays, On the Beach, Teletext Holidays, Trailfinders, TravelUp and Tui.

Of the six companies, only Trailfinders and Tui consistently answered Which?’s questions in line with the law and in line with the company’s official policy.

Agents at all of the others either suggested to the consumer champion’s researchers that they were willing to break the law over refunds, or misled them about how their holiday would or wouldn’t be protected.

Which? asked the travel companies:

  • Whether customers would get their money back if the government banned international travel before they were due to depart;
  • Whether they would get a refund for both their flight and accommodation together if the holiday was cancelled by the provider;
  • Whether customers could cancel for a full refund if they are told they will have to quarantine on arrival at their destination;
  • And how they would be refunded under the Atol scheme if the company were to collapse.

When asked about the government banning travel before they were due to leave, only Trailfinders, TravelUp and Tui repeatedly gave assurances that they would be entitled to a refund. Love Holidays, On the Beach and Teletext were all inconsistent in their responses. 

Legally, customers may not be entitled to a refund if they cannot travel because of a national or regional lockdown. However, Which? only recommends booking with companies that have committed to paying out in this scenario.

While On the Beach officially told the consumer champion it would refund customers in the event of a travel ban, two of its agents said otherwise. Teletext also gave mixed responses and when Which? approached the company for clarification, it refused to comment.

Love Holidays told Which? that customers would only be able to receive a full refund in this scenario if their airline cancelled their flight – and while it agreed this was unfair, it would still deny full refunds on this basis.

By law, customers whose package holiday is cancelled by their provider should be entitled to a full refund within 14 days, regardless of whether the airline cancels the flight or not. However, some companies have been denying full refunds on the basis they have not been able to secure refunds from airlines for the flight portion of the booking.

Airlines require full payment for the flights from the package holiday provider in advance, meaning that when flights booked as part of a package are not cancelled, it can be difficult to recoup the money from the flight carrier.

When Which? investigated, only Trailfinders and Tui committed to reimbursing both flights and hotels within the 14 days legally required.

Trailfinders guarantees customers will receive a full refund if their holiday is cancelled by ‘ring-fencing’ customer payments, meaning when refunds were due, their money would be returned to them in full and without delay – a model not replicated by the other providers. All the other companies suggested that full refunds would depend on whether or not the airline cancelled the flight.

Love Holidays said it would wait to be reimbursed by suppliers before passing the money onto customers, even though it has already faced an intervention from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for withholding refunds from customers while it chased money from airlines.

Similarly, Teletext has also been investigated by the CMA for withholding refunds, and is now facing court action if it fails to refund over £7 million in customer payments.

Despite the company being under investigation at the time, an agent still told Which?’s undercover researcher that customers could expect to wait up to two months for their money back while it chased suppliers for refunds.

While TravelUp said it was refunding within 14 days “wherever possible”, agents told the undercover researcher it relied upon receiving refunds from suppliers, and that it charges customers an admin fee – a minimum of £50 – to chase their refunds for them.

The researcher also asked if customers would be entitled to their money back if they were required to quarantine on their arrival. Denying a refund on this basis is in breach of the Package Travel Regulations, as having to quarantine on arrival should be considered an ‘unavoidable and extraordinary circumstance’ that will significantly affect the performance of a package holiday, meaning customers should be offered the choice between a reasonable alternative or a refund. 

Only Tui and Trailfinders said they would provide refunds for customers in this scenario. Agents at all the other companies Which? spoke to said customers would only receive a full refund if the airline cancelled their flight.

However, official responses from Loveholidays, On the Beach and TravelUp all contradicted the advice their agents had given on the phone, insisting that customers would be due a full refund if they cancelled because of instruction to quarantine on their arrival.

The consumer champion also questioned agents about how holidays were protected under the Atol scheme. Atol protection ensures customers will receive the option of a full refund if their provider goes bust before their package holiday takes place or while they are abroad.

Nearly every agent answered correctly when asked if their package holidays were Atol protected. But some agents provided misleading information when asked whether Atol protection applied if a flight and hotel were booked one week apart. 

In this situation, while the flight might be covered by Atol if booked through a tour operator, the hotel and transfer would not be. But all three agents for Teletext Holidays incorrectly implied customers booking their flights and accommodation separately would be fully covered. 

Which? is urging those considering a package holiday this summer to do their research, and read the terms of a company’s flexible booking policy carefully before booking.

All Which? Recommended Providers have committed to offering full refunds in the event of coronavirus related disruption, and all abide by the Package Travel Regulations. Consumers should avoid companies that cannot guarantee to offer a full refund in the event of further disruption.

The consumer champion is also campaigning for major travel industry reform to ensure greater protection of travellers’ money and enforcement of their existing consumer rights when they book a holiday or a flight. 

The CAA has launched a consultation on reforming Atol protections and the protection of customer money which the consumer champion will be submitting evidence to. Meanwhile the CMA is also currently investigating refunds in the package holiday sector, and it should not hesitate to take enforcement action against any companies that continue to break the law on refunds when mass international resumes.

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “Holiday companies are quick to offer promises that you can book with confidence this summer, but unfortunately many of them won’t be so quick to refund your money if coronavirus prevents you from travelling – and that’s if they refund you at all.

“Whether you can book with confidence ultimately comes down to who you book with. Many of the companies that broke the law last year have suggested they may do so again, so regulators must be ready to take strong action against any operators found to be misleading their customers or breaking the law.

“Travellers considering a holiday this year should only book with companies that guarantee in their flexible booking terms that they will be able to get all of your money back if lockdowns, quarantine and other disruption should strike.”

Watch out for doorstep scammers as lockdown ends, Which? warns

A Which? investigation has found that doorstep scammers are back in business after lockdown restrictions – and these ruthless fraudsters are using new coronavirus scams to target the most vulnerable. 

According to Action Fraud data, £18.7 million was lost to doorstep crime in 2020 alone. With many in-person scams believed to go unreported, the true figures could be even higher.

Doorstep scams can come in many forms. For example, fraudsters might offer building, gardening or home improvement services and then overcharge for or never complete the work. Fraudsters also often pose as salespeople or charity workers as a means of parting people from their hard-earned cash.

The number of reports to police for this type of fraud in April 2020 was 46 per cent lower than April 2019 as doorstep sellers were banned during the lockdown. However, by summer 2020, reports of doorstep scams had returned to pre-pandemic levels, with fewer restrictions stopping fraudsters from going out.

Which? research has found that scammers have exploited vulnerable people’s uncertainty and isolation during the lockdowns and used the pandemic as an opportunity to create new coronavirus frauds and recycle old scams.

A survey of 1,186 Which? members found that 16 per cent have received unsolicited visits from someone claiming to be a salesperson or charity worker since the start of the first lockdown.

9 per cent said that they felt the visitor was pressuring them into making a purchase or performing a certain action, such as donating.

Although Which? doesn’t know how many of these visits were scams, even genuine doorstep selling can leave consumers at a disadvantage. These unexpected visits can also be unnerving – especially for elderly or vulnerable people or if the salesperson is particularly pushy.

Which? member William Grayson, 81, lives alone in Weston-super-Mare, a 40 minute drive from his closest relatives.

William was visited at his home by two volunteers from a ‘Covid support group’ who offered to do shopping and errands for him while he was shielding. He gave the young couple £200 cash over two visits for food and home essentials but never got his shopping. He said: “Realising these people were out to get me made a dark time even darker for me to be honest.”

Which? has heard from other victims across the UK who have been targeted by fraudsters claiming to be from local NHS services offering fast-track testing and vaccines, collecting donations for fake charities and selling vitamin pills that ‘protect against’ Covid-19.

NHS services across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland continue to stress that all testing and vaccine services are free of charge, and nobody will ever turn up at someone’s home without warning. Those being vaccinated at home will likely be contacted in advance by their local NHS service, or regular district nurse, to arrange an appointment.

An increase in home improvement projects during lockdown provided scammers with new opportunities to rehash old scams.

Over a third (37%) of Which? members surveyed who had an unsolicited door knock said it was someone offering home improvement services.

When two landscapers turned up at Lucy’s, whose name has been changed, front door in Maidenhead last July, offering to tidy up her front garden, she didn’t think it was unusual that they’d asked for the money up front.

She explained: “They said they’d been working on my neighbour’s garden and thought mine looked like it could do with a bit of TLC. It was funny because I’d recently been admiring my neighbour’s new front garden.”

Lucy later found out they weren’t the same traders that had worked on her neighbour’s garden. She has since given up hope of getting any money back.

Unfortunately for Lucy, victims are unlikely to get their money back if they’ve handed over cash.

Cash transactions are also untraceable which makes the perpetrators harder to track down and bring to justice.

Which? advises consumers against buying from unsolicited doorstep sellers. This applies to anyone that calls by who isn’t expected, or who consumers haven’t made an appointment for, such as water or electric meter readings or gas engineers.

If there are any safety fears, police and Trading Standards advise calling 999. This also goes for particularly aggressive traders.

It is banned practice for a trader to refuse to leave your property if you’ve asked, although this may be justified under some circumstances, such as to enforce a contractual obligation.

Consumers should also sign up to Which?’s scam alert service in order to familiarise themselves with some of the latest tactics used by fraudsters, particularly given the explosion of scams since the coronavirus crisis.

Adam French, Which? Consumer Rights Expert, said: “It’s highly concerning that doorstep scammers are back in business and looking to exploit the pandemic in every way they can. We all need to be wary of anyone who knocks on our door unexpectedly.

“Adopting a blanket policy not to buy goods or services offered at the door is a sure-fire way to stop any would-be fraudsters in their tracks. However, if you do decide to purchase something at your door, you should ask the seller for their ID or call the company to verify their identity before making any payments.

“If you encounter a fraudster, you should report this to Action Fraud in England or call Policing Scotland on 101 in Scotland and if you have any safety fears, dial 999 immediately.”

BT launches social tariff to support low income households

Universal Credit claimants are set to benefit from a new deal launched by BT yesterday.

Home Essentials, a new social tariff for people on Universal Credit and other means-tested benefits, will give eligible customers a 36Mbps fibre broadband service and 700 minutes of included phone calls for just £15 per month.

The new package, which could potentially be taken by as many as 4.6 million UK households, is around half the price of a standard package on BT’s service with similar features.

Those who want faster performance can opt for average speeds of 67Mbps and unlimited calls via the new same social tariff, but this does push the price to £20 per month.

BT plans to make the new package available next month.

Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer Division, said: “Fast, reliable connectivity has never been as important as it is today, with millions of people relying upon our networks to get back on their feet after the pandemic.

“We want to help as many people as we can, which is why at the end of June we’ll be launching BT Home Essentials, increasing the eligibility of our social tariff to include all customers on Universal Credit.

“BT Home Essentials will be available at half the price of our standard fibre package, helping a potential four million households on low income save on bills and stay connected to vital online services.”

Matt Warman, UK Digital Infrastructure Minister, said: “In today’s digital world, everyone should be able to access fast, reliable and affordable internet, so I’m thrilled that BT is the latest provider to launch new deals for low income households.

“We have been working with internet providers to offer affordable broadband tariffs for those struggling with bills to help the UK build back fairer from the pandemic. I hope to see others taking similar action soon.”

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: “Access to a good broadband connection is vital for everyday life, however affordability can be an issue for some consumers, so it is good BT that has introduced this new tariff offering decent connection speeds at lower prices to help get more people online.

“BT must now ensure that it proactively engages with those who are eligible so they are aware and can take advantage of these new tariffs.”

Teletext faces court action unless it pays over £7m in refunds

Teletext Holidays will face legal action unless it repays over £7 million to customers whose package holidays were cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

On 4 February, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it was opening an investigation into Teletext Holidays after receiving hundreds of complaints.

These showed that people were not receiving refunds they were owed within 14 days, as required by law, for package holidays cancelled by the company due to pandemic restrictions.

The CMA wrote to Truly Holdings Ltd., the company that operates Teletext Holidays and also AlphaRooms.com, in March, setting out in detail its concerns and giving the company an opportunity to address them.

The CMA told the firm it could avoid any potential court action by signing formal commitments – known as ‘undertakings’ – to refund affected consumers and ensure compliance with the Package Travel Regulations going forward.

However, Teletext has not agreed to provide undertakings that are sufficient to address the CMA’s concerns.

The CMA has now informed Teletext Holidays that it is preparing to take court action and will launch proceedings if it does not repay the outstanding refunds, or commit to do so, without unnecessary delay.

Andrea Coscelli, Chief Executive of the CMA, said: There must be no more delays to Teletext refunding customers for holidays they could not take because of the pandemic. It is unacceptable that many have already waited months for the refunds they are legally entitled to.

“We take very seriously the ongoing failure of Teletext Holidays to meet its obligations. The firm must now comply with the law and commit to refunding its customers. If it does not do so, we will not hesitate to pursue this case in court.”

Rory Boland, Which? Travel Editor, said: “We have received countless complaints from Teletext Holidays customers who have been battling for refunds for cancelled holidays for more than a year, so while the regulator’s action is welcome customers will be angry that they still don’t have money they are legally due.

“Teletext is one of many holiday providers that have attempted to shirk their legal responsibilities to refund customers for cancelled trips, highlighting the need for industry-wide reform.

“The government must ensure there are better protections for holidaymakers’ money, while the Civil Aviation Authority – which has been unable to take much meaningful action against airlines holding up the refund process by withholding money from holiday companies – must be given stronger powers.”

The announcement follows ‘significant action’ by the CMA in relation to holiday cancellations during the coronavirus pandemic.

The CMA has written to over 100 package holiday firms to remind them of their obligations to comply with consumer protection law, and has already secured refund commitments from LoveHolidays, Lastminute.com, Virgin Holidays, and TUI UK.

Further information on this case can be found on the COVID-19 cancellations: package holidays web page.

UK travel testing system at risk of collapsing when mass travel restarts, Which? warns

Some passengers arriving in the UK are having to extend their quarantine or pay for additional Covid tests as private labs are failing to deliver results on time, Which? has found, raising concerns about the capacity of the UK’s travel testing system weeks before international travel is set to re-open. 

Currently, anyone arriving in the UK (unless exempt) must quarantine for a mandatory 10 days and take a PCR test on day two and day eight of their quarantine. These tests typically cost between £160 and £200, but can cost over £500. Travellers must receive negative results for both tests to leave quarantine after day 10.

However, social media and review sites have been flooded with complaints about test result delays, with a Facebook group for people suffering problems with the system amassing around 1,500 members, and Which? has also heard from travellers who did not receive their test results within 10 days.

Without test results, travellers face having to pay hundreds of pounds for additional tests or stay in quarantine for longer than they need to, potentially causing problems for those who cannot work from home.

The consumer champion also understands that at present, only four private test providers out of more than 500 on the government’s list of providers have been accredited – Nationwide Pathology, Source Bioscience, Oncologica and Eurofins Forensic Services. Of those four, only Nationwide Pathology and Oncologica offer day two and day eight test kits, raising concerns about oversight of the test providers. 

With mass travel set to resume next month, Which? is concerned that the travel test system – which is already struggling to handle demand when international travel is restricted – is at risk of being overwhelmed, and potentially collapsing when restrictions are lifted. 

Erkal Taskin, who returned from Turkey after visiting his ill father in early April, told Which? that he didn’t receive his day two test kit from Anglia, a government-listed test provider, until he had been in the UK for a week. 

Only after he contacted Anglia through Twitter and Which? responded to his tweets did it promise him a refund. It finally gave him his day two result 15 days after he had arrived in the country, and he still has not received his day eight result.

Anglia apologised for the problems, and described the case as “an extreme outlier even in terms of the small number of cases where our client has had some processing or fulfilment issues.”

Erkal added: “I wasn’t sure when I could leave my house and there was no one to ask. I ended up waiting for so long before I could go back to work, which was a huge problem.” 

Another person complained on Trustpilot about a different provider, claiming that after they didn’t receive results for their day two test, they paid for a ‘Day Five Test to Release Kit’ – which would have allowed them to end their quarantine early on receipt of a negative result – but said “now on day nine, [we] still have no results, so [it was a] waste of £110 plus £175.” 

While some providers have blamed delays with Royal Mail deliveries, Royal Mail told Which? there have been no reported delays in its network related to use of the company’s priority post boxes for managing travellers’ test results.

Oncologica, one of the largest laboratories that has partnered with many government-listed test providers, apologised on its website for delays and said there has been an “unprecedented increase in Covid testing enquiries and kit orders received since government travel rules were introduced”.

Nationwide Pathology also apologised on its site for “large scale disruption to the delivery of both kits and samples”.

Despite travellers failing to receive their Covid test results on time, many have not been offered refunds. Both Oncologia and Nationwide Pathology said they did not guarantee test results within 10 days, with the latter claiming guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care means that it doesn’t have to provide refunds “where there’s no issue with the testing service”. 

Under the proposed traffic light system, arrivals from ‘green’ countries must take day two tests, and those from ‘amber’ and ‘red’ countries must take day two and day eight tests, which will mean hundreds of thousands more people rely on the testing system. 

Which? is urging the government to urgently address the problems currently affecting the PCR testing market with regard to availability of information, accreditation, pricing and accessibility of tests, as well as the poor quality of service by some providers. It must also ensure there are effective consumer protections in place for travellers in the event of any problems with testing, ahead of reopening travel after 17 May. 

Rory Boland, Which? Travel Editor, said: “The UK’s travel testing system can’t cope with demand, even when relatively small numbers of people are travelling. It’s clear the system could buckle under the pressure when mass international travel restarts and hundreds of thousands more people are reliant on it. 

“Travellers shouldn’t have to shop around for something as crucial as a test provider – they simply need a service that is accessible, reliable, and delivered on time. It is critical that the Government addresses issues with testing ahead of restarting international travel, and ensure that travellers are not left to the mercy of poor quality providers or unreliable services when trying to do the right thing in following government requirements to travel safely.”

Oncologica told Which? it can process up to 40,000 Covid-19 tests a day and that it hadn’t yet reached capacity. A spokesperson said: “Postal service quality is outside our control; however, we make customers aware of the possibility of shipment delays arising from postal deliveries.

“This can relate to sample returns indicating they have been returned “delivered” in the Royal Mail tracked postal system, whereas in fact samples may not yet have been delivered to Oncologica and only have arrived at a Royal Mail depot, which can take up to 24 hours to deliver onto us. In the vast majority of cases, our customers experience no delays and our kits and results are supplied in a timely manner.”

It said that it couldn’t comment on claims by third party test providers that they’d received its results late.

Nationwide Pathology said: “We recognise the significant frustrations that UK International Arrivals are currently facing and we all are working extremely hard to make the process as user friendly as possible.

“We also recognise the significant costs involved for families which is why we have consistently, since the start of this process in March 2021, been one of the least expensive providers on the DHSC list.

“Nationwide Pathology is committed to providing the best service possible. We have performed over 80,000 Day 2 and Day 8 covid tests since the end of March 2021. The vast majority of our clients have no issue and are very happy with the service they receive. Our complaints KPI is 0.29%.

“Unfortunately, even though we use Royal Mail, who are a gold standard logistics provider, they have experienced some delays in getting samples to us. We understand how important results are to customers, but we are simply unable to test a sample that we do not have.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “There are no reported delays in our network related to people using Royal Mail’s priority post boxes to manage their test results. In fact we continue to receive praise for the high quality of the service we provide to the nation. Every day we service hundreds of thousands of test kits on behalf of the NHS both speedily and efficiently. 

“For overseas travellers, the management of test kits, samples and results is carried out through several private companies. In some instances, some of these companies may use a Royal Mail tracked returns service to deliver test results.

“In such cases, we deliver mail items in line with the service specification agreed with the sending companies. Every item of mail is important to us. We are committed to delivering the highest levels of service for all our customers.

“We have lots of capacity in our network to continue to deliver these mail items to a high level of service even if there is an increase in demand.”

The Department of Health and Social Care said: “We are carefully monitoring issues raised by the public, raising every complaint with private test providers. We also monitor all providers’ performance, including their delivery and test turnaround times.

“We will take rapid action against any company that is providing an inadequate service. In the first instance, they will receive a warning and are given five days to demonstrate they have addressed concerns, and if not, they are removed from the gov.uk list.”

A spokesperson for Anglia DNA Services said: “We unreservedly apologise for any receipt, delivery, and/or processing issues in this case, one of a very small minority of such issues over the last weeks in which we have successfully fulfilled over 10,000 ‘2 and 8’ day tests for our customers. 

“The individual you reference is being fully refunded as is our policy, with our apologies again.” 

Once more onto the beach!

Which? reveals Britain’s favourite seaside destinations

Bamburgh in Northumberland has been named as Britain’s best seaside destination, as Which? reveals the nation’s favourite resorts and the top towns and villages for avoiding the crowds on holiday. 

With more people expected to book a holiday in Britain this summer than ever before as a result of the pandemic, the consumer champion sought out views on Britain’s coastal towns and villages to find the nation’s favourite seaside destinations.

The survey of more than 4,000 people ranked nearly 100 towns and villages, with Bamburgh rated the best seaside town.

It slipped from its first place ranking last year, but reclaimed the top spot after receiving a customer score of 85 per cent, and five stars for its beaches, tourist attractions and scenery. It received an additional five stars for value for money, with prices for accommodation being half those of some popular spots in Cornwall.

Visitors were particularly fond of the castle, and despite the small size of Bamburgh village, the vastness of its beach meant it received four stars for peace and quiet, allowing visitors to easily distance themselves and avoid busy crowds.

Other responses suggest word has spread about Bamburgh’s appeal, with some encouraging visitors to reserve tables in the restaurants in advance as places are often booked up, and arrive at the castle early to secure a parking space.

The good news is that this year’s reader survey of the best seaside towns and villages shows there is room on our coast for us all to find a quiet corner. Visitors rated nearly 60 British seaside destinations at 70 per cent or above, while 30 were awarded four or five stars for peace and quiet.

Tynemouth, in Tyne & Wear, took joint second place alongside Dartmouth in Devon. Both received a visitor score of 84 per cent, and five stars for their seafronts, while Tynemouth was given five stars for its beach and seafront, and four stars for scenery.

Visitors to Tynemouth praised the selection and quality of restaurants and food options on offer, as well as the market at the Metro station at weekends, while those who had been to Dartmouth recommended taking a boat trip along the River Dart or the steam train from Paignton to get there.

In third place – and taking the title of Scotland’s best beach town – was St Andrews. Busier than some of the other destinations at the top of the table, the “home of golf” earned its high ranking perhaps thanks to its five-star rated tourist attractions as well as its shopping options, which received four stars. It also received four stars for beaches and value for money. Those looking to beat the crowds were advised by respondents to visit outside of term time, when fewer students of its famous university are around.

Aberaeron was ranked fourth and named the best seaside town in Wales, with a customer score of 82 per cent. The quiet harbour town was given five stars for its scenery, with visitors commenting fondly on the painted houses in pastel colours. It also received four stars for peace and quiet – likely due to it being a little harder to reach than more popular tourist locations further down the coast in Pembrokeshire.

At the other end of the table, with a customer score of 48 per cent, was Skegness. The seaside town was also rated bottom by visitors last year, but its score has improved slightly as a result of investment and refurbishment in the town centre and higher footfall, with more people holidaying in Great Britain than abroad last summer. And while it only received one star for its tourist attractions and scenery, its beach was still given three stars.

Respondents recognised the family-friendly appeal of Skegness and its amusements, while one commenter described it as “unpretentious and a very pleasant place to visit”, and encouraged visitors to “enjoy the old fashioned 1950s atmosphere of a traditional English seaside town”.

Other destinations at the bottom end of the table included Weston-Super-Mare (55%) and Ilfracombe (56%).

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “Many of us discovered the joy of a British summer holiday last year and the trend looks set to continue well into this summer. The results of our survey show that bigger is rarely better, with smaller and less crowded resorts taking the top spots over better-known destinations.

“Given the crowds and prices at some of Britain’s most popular seaside destinations, the best news from the survey is just how many highly-rated destinations we have to choose from. Whether you want a village with a beach or a big town with all the fish and chips you can eat, there is a fantastic spot by the sea for you.

“Do your research and look beyond the big name destinations – and most importantly, book with a reputable provider with a generous flexible booking policy.”

Community Access to Cash pilot schemes are under way

Nine communities across the UK are taking part in a trial to help address the challenge of improving access to cash. Two – Cambuslang and Denny – are in central Scotland.

The Community Access to Cash Pilot (CACP) initiative chose the communities based on the location, the issues the communities faced, and the local people willing to lead the pilots.

Each community will trial a number of different solutions, based on meeting the needs of local communities. These include:

  • Three new local ‘banking hubs’ in dedicated retail spaces on the high street, which combine the cash-transaction facilities of a Post Office with access to community banking services offered by the key retail banks, allowing the privacy and security people expect in a bank branch
  • Speedy and automated local cash deposit facilities for small businesses, so that retailers don’t have to close to travel to a nearby town bank branch to deposit their takings
  • Existing Post Office branches restructured and refurbished with cash services streamlined to make it easier for local residents and businesses to withdraw and deposit cash quickly and safely.
  • Pop-up Post Office services, allowing small communities to access basic banking services over a Post Office counter within an existing small shop
  • Widespread ‘cashback’ from local stores, restaurants and pubs – as well as from PayPoint counters, and new app-based digital services – to widen the options for people to get cash locally, and to help business reduce their own costs of depositing cash
  • New, free to use ATMs
  • Digital education services to help those who want to access digital banking services

The original plan was for each pilot community to start implementing their solutions over the remainder of 2020, with the aim that they are all fully operational by the end of 2020. The pilots were to operate for the first six months of the 2021, reporting back their findings in the summer of 2021. However the timetable has been revised due to the Covid pandemic.

The pilots operate in a wider context of a UK-wide cash infrastructure under threat, millions dependent on cash, and a government commitment to legislate to protect cash access. The aim of these pilots is to trial solutions which could have wider applicability across the UK.

CACP is chaired by Natalie Ceeney CBE, the author of the Access to Cash Review and brings together the resources and expertise of the financial services industry (including all of the major retail banks) with those of the Access to Review panel.

The team is also working closely with a wide range of local and national consumer groups and charities to bring in depth expertise to help support the work.

Speaking when the initaitve was launched last year, Natalie Ceeney, Chair, Community Access to Cash Pilot, said: “Cash remains critically important to both individuals and communities across the UK. The rapid switch to digital is threatening the viability of today’s cash infrastructure.

“This can lead to consumers left without cash access or forced to leave their own village or town to get cash elsewhere, often at significant inconvenience and cost. In turn, local retailers lose custom, as consumers spend their cash elsewhere, and then struggle to bank their cash takings without shutting up shop to drive to a bank branch some miles away, losing revenue and frustrating customers. It’s critical that we find ways to protect the viability of cash, for consumers and communities alike.

“These pilots are designed to find sustainable ways to keep cash viable locally, which, if successful, can then be rolled out more widely. The government has already committed to legislate to protect cash, and the financial services regulators are working closely with banks to identify practical next steps. Our aim is to use the pilots to critically inform this work.

“The work we’ve done with local communities has shown us in some detail what is needed. It’s clear that to keep communities viable, people need to be able to get cash easily, in a variety of ways. ATMs are important, but don’t meet everyone’s needs, particularly the most vulnerable, so being able to get cash over a counter, in a safe space, is still important to many. Small businesses equally need to be able to deposit cash, and locally, so that they don’t need to close their shop to bank their cash.

“These pilots will use innovative technology to help people access and deposit cash. The pilots will also work with key existing service providers to explore how they can support the cash infrastructure, by creating local drop in spaces for community banking, retailers offering cashback widely and Post Offices enhancing their services to create a new model of ‘Post Office Banking Hubs’.

“The commitment of the major banks, the Post Office, LINK and key consumer groups to all work together on this initiative gives us confidence that we can create solutions which keep cash viable in a sustainable way.”

Nick Read, Chief Executive, Post Office: “Our branches provide critical cash deposit and withdrawals services for millions of personal and business customers every week. We will use these pilots to trial new designs in selected branches; and introduce automated cash deposit facilities for business and personal customers who may have previously used this service at a bank branch.

“Everyone should have the right to use cash and be able to easily and securely access it wherever is most convenient to them. We are pleased to be playing a key role in these pilots and our Postmasters who are taking part will be in a position to share important insights that will make a real difference as to how we continue to best meet peoples’ cash needs in future.”

Alison Rose, CEO, NatWest: “We know that cash is an important part of the way that many communities across the UK bank with us, which is why we have worked with the industry to help create this pilot programme.

“The lessons we learn from working with communities to develop innovative solutions are really important as we continue to invest in sustaining access to cash and financial capability.”

John Glen MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister: “Cash remains important to the daily lives of millions of people across the UK, and protecting access to it is a key Government priority.

“I welcome the Community Access to Cash Pilot Initiative, which will test innovative new approaches to support access to cash in local communities that can be extended across the UK. Thank you to Natalie Ceeney and all industry participants for their important work to ensure we support consumers and businesses who continue to need to use cash.”

Two of the nine locations are in Scotland:

Cambuslang:

Cambuslang is a town of c.28,600 people, the third largest town in South Lanarkshire, but since 2018 has been unbanked following the closures of branches by three banks in quick succession.

According to the latest version of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), some 40% of areas (data zones) in Cambuslang East and 25% in Cambuslang West are in the bottom 20% of the SIMD.

The Cambuslang community are keen to address two key issues, first, supporting financially vulnerable customers in accessing cash, and second, supporting small businesses to be able to access and bank cash.

The local leaders of this pilot, Cambuslang Community Council, are passionate about the opportunity to support their community though better access to cash, education and, ultimately, influencing the coming legislation change.  

The Cambuslang community will be piloting:

  • A Post Office Banking Hub in an empty retail outlet, with the Post Office offering transactional services in a private environment, with community banking support from the major banks, debt advice, and support for financial issues
  • A ‘Drop and Go’ cash deposit facility for small businesses in the Banking Hub to make it easier for local businesses to bank cash, whichever bank they are with
  • Cashback with purchase offered by a large number of local stores
  • Cashback without purchase offered by PayPoint convenience stores
  • Widespread advertisement of what the banks can offer vulnerable customers
  • Digital education services to help those who want to access digital banking services, designed for the Cambuslang community
  • A Vulnerable Customer Directory – ensuring that everyone is aware of the services that the retail banks can offer to vulnerable customers 

Denny (Falkirk): 

Denny is a small town located between Edinburgh and Glasgow, with a population of circa 8,000, and with 16% of the population over 65 years old. They are a semi-urban location that has seen a reduction in their access to cash facilities.

They are looking to improve the cash deposit and withdrawal facilities for both small local retailers and consumers, and also want to support their community to be able to budget and access cash digitally.

The Denny community will be piloting:

  • Cashback with purchase offered by a large number of local stores
  • A refreshed Post Office with improved cash facilities which can better meet community needs
  • Cashback without purchase offered by PayPoint convenience stores
  • Digital education services to help those who want to access digital banking services
  • A Vulnerable Customer Directory – offering support to those who need it
  • A digital solution to coin recycling supported by Shrap – an innovative new service which allows consumers to store change on a card or app, saving retailers from managing small change  
  • A Vulnerable Customer Directory – ensuring that everyone is aware of the services that the retail banks can offer to vulnerable customers

Gareth Shaw, Which? Head of Money, said: “These initiatives could have a really positive impact on communities that have seen sharp cuts to their cash machine and bank branch networks in recent years, which have forced some cash dependent consumers to travel unreasonable distances or face hefty charges to withdraw their own money.

“However, in order for cash to remain a viable option for people across the UK, the government must take action. It needs to urgently set out when it will introduce the legislation it promised last year to protect access to cash, and put a wider strategy in place that ensures people who depend on cash are not cut off from the money they need to pay for essentials.”

Lords report: Over half of UK citizens ‘financially vulnerable’

The House of Lords Liaison Committee has published its third follow-up report; Tackling Financial Exclusion: A country that works for everyone?

This report examines the progress made by the Government in the implementation of the recommendations made by the Select Committee on Financial Exclusion in its 2017 report Tackling Financial Exclusion: A country that works for everyone?

In the Liaison Committee’s report Review of House of Lords Investigative and Scrutiny Committees: towards a new thematic committee structure published in July 2019, the Committee recommended that the Liaison Committee (on a case by case basis) could hold follow-up evidence sessions on a former special inquiry committee’s recommendations, followed by the publication of a report.

This is the third occasion on which this new procedure has been utilised.

The inquiry found that over half of the population are classed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as having characteristics of financial vulnerability.

This issue has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic with 14.2m people in the UK now estimated to have low financial resilience – characterised by over-indebtedness or with low levels of savings or low or erratic earnings.

Types of financial exclusion can include: not being able to open a bank account, not being able to access financial services due to bank branch and ATM closures, not being able to access affordable credit.

The report recommended that a clear Government strategy and increased FCA powers are brought forward in order to stop people experiencing financial exclusion.

The report calls on the Government to introduce a requirement for the FCA to establish a statutory Duty of Care that banks and other financial services providers must operate toward their customers. This should replace the current insufficient requirement to ‘treat customers fairly’.

Other recommendations in the Committee’s report, Tackling Financial Exclusion: A country that works for everyone? follow-up report are:

  • The proposed legislation to protect access to cash should be brought forward without delay.
  • The Government should publish the timescale and details on the no-interest loan pilot.
  • The powers of the FCA to mitigate the trends in bank branch and free ATM closures should be reviewed and enhanced.
  • The Government should continue to work with the Post Office and UK Finance to roll out a public information campaign about the banking services that the Post Office offers.

Baroness Tyler of Enfield, who was Chair of the Select Committee on Financial Exclusion, said: “It’s time for the financial services industry to recognise they have a fundamental duty to ensure that banks act in their customers’ best interests and that products and services are fair by design.

“That duty of care should now be established in law and overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure greater consumer protection and prevent banks and others from profiting from their customer’s vulnerability.

“The COVID crisis has laid bare the extent of financial exclusion across the UK. We continue have more than a million adults in the UK without access to a bank account and more than half the country now have characteristics of financial vulnerability.

“It is now more important than ever that Government come forward with a comprehensive financial inclusion strategy that will ensure access to cash, protect the public and end the scandal of the poorest being overcharged for financial and other services. The Government should publish that strategy within 12 months and allow Parliament to assess it and hold them to account for its delivery.”

Gareth Shaw, Which? Head of Money, said: “Millions of people rely on cash as they are not ready or able to take advantage of digital payments. However, rapid closures to the cash machine and bank branch networks in recent years mean that many of these consumers risk being abandoned by their banks.

“Our research has shown that people in some deprived areas have seen significant cuts to free ATMs in recent years, while a domino effect of bank branch closures has taken place without enough regard to whether suitable alternatives are in place.

“The government must urgently set out its vision for the future of cash, including its promised legislation to protect access to it. This should include putting the FCA in charge of the cash system so that it can take the steps that are needed to ensure cash remains a viable payment option for as long as it is needed.”