Daily Mail - 12.08.2019

Page 26

Petrol thieves

blown up as

tanker ignites

DOZENS of petrol thieves try-

ing to siphon fuel from a leak-

ing tanker died when the

vehicle blew up.

The crashed tanker, near the

town of Morogoro, Tanzania,

exploded as crowds gathered

around it, killing 69.

Thirty-nine seriously hurt

patients were taken to hospi-

tal in Dar es Salaam.

Footage from the scene

captured the truck engulfed

in flames and huge clouds of

black smoke.

A video posted on social

media showed dozens of peo-

ple carrying yellow jerry

cans around the truck before

the explosion.

2021 and ministers have

refused to confirm whether it

will be extended. It is the lat-

est service under threat after

the Treasury removed the abil-

ity to pay tax bills at post

offices two years ago.

MPs have also accused the

Government of leading the

Post Office into a ‘managed

decline’. Departments have

stripped £65million of fees from

the Post Office, threatening

local branches in towns and

villages across the country.

As many as 2,500 postmas-

ters said they are considering

By Tom Witherow

Pensioners are ‘tricked’

into closing Post Of f ice

accounts by Whitehall

ThOusAnDs of pensioners are

being ‘hoodwinked’ into closing

their Post Office card accounts,

campaigners have claimed.
They said letters had been sent from
Whitehall to the elderly telling them to
switch to a bank account for the receipt
of their state pension.
The Post Office card account provides a
simple way to receive pensions, tax credits
or benefits, and withdraw them as cash at a
local branch – with no overdraft, fees or

charges to worry about. But the Depart-

ment for Work and Pensions is trying to

reduce the number of users to save money

spent on running the service.

Campaigners are angry that the letters

sent to 900,000 pensioners failed to mention

that customers can refuse to move – and

keep their old account.

Letters sent out over the last three years

have said: ‘Currently we pay your benefits

or tax credits into a Post Office card

account. But we now expect you to use a

bank... Please call us now to switch.’

Retired nurse Janet Bailey, 74, from Mid-

dleton, Manchester, said she received two

letters last year. she added: ‘The card

account letter made me angry. It’s like they

are saying move your account or else.’

Campaigners fear the letters are a

prelude to the end of the card account

as part of the Government’s strategy

to push services online.

The department’s contract with the Post

Office to provide the accounts expires in

resigning or downsizing in

the next year because of

financial hardship.

The Daily Mail is campaign-

ing to save local post offices,

and has called on the Govern-

ment to guarantee their serv-

ices are available over the

counter in branches.

Postmasters’ pay has been

cut by £112million in the last

six years. Three in four say

they do not make minimum

wage and some take home as

little as £1 an hour.

Peter hall, of the national

Federation of sub-Postmas-

ters, said: ‘The Government

has not upheld its side of the

bargain. There has been no

significant new work for post

offices from government

departments since 2012 and

any existing contracts now

pay less.’

SAVE OUR

LOCAL

POST OFFICES

Compiled by ETAN SMALLMAN

and ADAM JACOT DE BOINOD

DAY

ON THIS

August 12, 2019

FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE

AUGUST 12, 1969

The Moonmen spent the first day with

their families for more than a month. It may

also be the last day of their lives as normal

people. From now on neil Armstrong, Buzz

Aldrin, Michael Collins and their families

become ambassadors extraordinary for the

united states all over the world.

AUGUST 12, 1977

GeOFFRey BOyCOTT was the hero of a

sporting fairytale in the Test match against

Australia yesterday. he became the 18th

cricketer to score a hundred centuries and

the first to achieve it in a Test match. he

did it — with 110 not out — in front of his

home yorkshire crowd at the headingley

ground in Leeds. hundreds invaded the

pitch to congratulate him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

CARA DeLevInGne, 27.

The London-born model and

actress, the goddaughter of

Joan Collins, was described

by Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld as

‘the Charlie Chaplin of the

fashion world’ because of her

jokey personality. vogue has

noted her distinctive eye-

brows are like ‘lush, expressive caterpillars’,

while designer erdem Moralioglu said: ‘In 20

years, we may look back at this era and think

of Cara the same way we look back at the

sixties and think of Jean shrimpton.’

MARK KnOPFLeR, 70. The Glasgow-born

musician has sold over 120 million records

during his solo career and as lead singer of

Dire straits. he was named the 44th-great-

est guitarist by Rolling stone magazine, but

Knopfler has said: ‘The way I approach the

whole thing is not orthodox, I break a lot of

guitar rules. I just fiddle about.’

BORN ON THIS DAY

TeRRy nuTKIns (1946-

2012). The naturalist and

presenter of Animal Magic

and The Really Wild show

used to bunk off school to

help the keepers at the

elephant enclosure at

London Zoo. ‘When I went

to bed,’ he recalled. ‘I didn’t

wash my hands because I liked to smell the

elephants on them.’ A father-of-eight,

nutkins got caught up in a row with the

family of Johnny Morris after his co-host

left him the bulk of his estate.

CeCIL B. DeMILLe (1881-1959). The u.s.

filmmaker directed The Ten Command-

ments (as a silent movie in 1923 and with

Charlton heston in 1956), Cleopatra, and

samson And Delilah. The set for his first Ten

Commandments film took 1,600 men to

build and included four statues of Ramses II

weighing 40 tons each. To prevent anyone

else using it for future movies, DeMille had

it buried under 20ft of sand.

ON AUGUST 12...

IN 1981, IBM launched its first personal

computer, the 5150 PC.

IN 2012, the London Olympics closing

ceremony featured George Michael, the

spice Girls and Queen.

WORD WIZARDRY

GUESS THE DEFINITION: Gelotology (c 1971)

A) The use of ambiguous language. B) The

study of humour and laughter. C) The

science of travellers’ health. Answer below

PHRASE EXPLAINED

Blind leading the blind: Refers to having a

leader who is no more informed than his

followers, both of whom are ill-equipped;

‘blind’ is used metaphorically and comes

from Matthew in the new Testament.

QUOTE FOR TODAY

The essence of being human is

that one does not seek perfection.

George Orwell, writer (1903-1950)

JOKE OF THE DAY

I’ve quit as a personal trainer... I’ve just

given my too-weak notice.

Guess The Definition answer: B.