Gas shutdown

FEARS were raised that factories could be forced to shut as the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine deepened.

Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks has admitted that UK supplies could be hit, although officials insisted there was still "no immediate threat".

But Jeremy Nicholson, director of the Energy Intensive Users Group, said high gas prices had already led some heavy users to cut back. He told the Daily Mail:"The effect could be that some factories remain shut or on reduced consumption for longer, and others could join them."

Factory job cuts

MANUFACTURERS instigated deep cuts in their workforce last month after being unable to pass on higher raw material costs to customers, a survey showed.

Employment in the sector fell for the ninth month in a row in December as companies took action to protect their profits, the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply said.

Sales spending

BRITONS are collectively set to spend £5.5bn in the post-Christmas sales, nearly 50 per cent more than they did in 2004, according to a new survey.

The average person expects to spend £122 in the sales, compared with £82 last year, according to insurer Direct Line.

End of sickies

The day of the "sickie" could soon be over because legal experts have invented a computer programme to help bosses spy on slackers.

It can also track "patterns" in workers absences - singling out those who always seem to fall ill on Mondays and Fridays.