Fire brigade bosses have rubbished claims that bottles of hand sanitiser could catch fire if they are left in hot cars.

The National Fire Chiefs Council confirmed that “hand sanitiser kept in cars do not pose a fire risk”, after NHS bosses issued a warning to staff.

The internal memo from NHS Property Services claimed it had received a “number of reports of hand sanitiser being the cause of fires when left in vehicles in the hot weather the UK is currently experiencing”.

It told workers that the current heatwave could mean alcohol-based gels reach their “flash point”, which would see them burst into flames when the vapour in them comes into contact with hot air.

Demand for hand sanitiser has sky-rocketed during the coronavirus pandemic, which caused major concern about potential fires.

But after the warning was shared widely online, NHS bosses have now clarified hand sanitiser cannot ignite on its own and would need a spark to be set alight.

An NHS Property Services spokesman told Sky News the alarm was raised by union safety officers who had heard about hand sanitiser car fires in the US.

The average UK car is driven more than 7,000 miles per year – or an average of 583 miles per month, according to MOT data.

But a survey of 2,000 motorists  has revealed that over the past 28 days the average driver has covered just 90 miles – with 30 per cent driving 25 miles or fewer. With so few driving, 18 per cent have struggled to get back to normal behind the wheel of a car.

Of those who have found it difficult getting used to being back on the road, 28 per cent had stalled their car, 21 per cent had scraped their wheels on the kerb and more than one in five have forgotten to indicate.

Young woman with hands on eyes sitting depressed in car

• • Drivers with photocard licences due to expire between 1 February and 31 August 2020 have been granted an extension
  • Licences are automatically extended by seven months from the date of expiry 
  • Impacted motorists will be sent reminders ahead of their new renewal date
  • It only applies to photocard renewals that expire after 10 years
  • If a driver’s entitlement to drive is due to expire or they have lost or had their licence stolen, they will need to apply for new ones online.

Drivers with a pink plastic photocard driving licence that’s due to expire will be granted a seven-month extension, the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency has confirmed today.

Those with photocards expiring between 1 February 2020 and 31 August 2020 will automatically have their licence renewals extended from the date of expiry and can now carry on driving safe in the knowledge they’re still legal.  The move comes as the government agency has been struggling to process requests during the pandemic, stating on its website: ‘It’s taking longer than usual to process driving licence applications because of coronavirus.’

Normally drivers are required to renew their photocard licence every 10 years, and bus and lorry drivers every five years. However, lockdown has slowed the DVLA’s capacity to process applications from motorists as – like many businesses – its workforce is mainly operating remotely from home.

It had previous warned drivers in April that those using its services should expect ‘significant delays’ during the coronavirus crisis.

The extension has been granted thanks to new EU regulation which means photocards that expire between 1 February and 31 August 2020 will be automatically extended for a further seven months from the date of expiry. To ensure motorists don’t forget, they will be sent a reminder to renew before their seven month extension ends.

The extension only applies to photocard renewals after 10 years when a new photo of the driver is required – with renewals costing £14 online, £17 by post or £21 at the Post Office (or free if you’re over 70 years old).  The DVLA’s online services to renew a driving licence entitlement or replace lost or stolen photocards will continue to operate as normal, it has confirmed.

This will also be the case for learners who could soon pass their driving test and be eligible for a full licence after tests were cancelled for three months from 20 March due to the virus.

However, with tests – in theory – able to restart on 20 June, driving instructors have said there has been no clear guidance or instruction about when they can return to work safely.

Julie Lennard, chief executive at the agency, said: ‘This extension will make it easier for drivers who need to update their photocard licence with a new photograph.

‘This means as long as they have a valid licence, drivers will be able to continue to make essential journeys.’The extension is automatic so drivers do not need to do anything and will be sent a reminder to renew their photocard before the extension ends.’

This change will be introduced from 4 June 2020.

This is Money has received emails from readers concerned that they have already applied for a licence renewal via post, having sent their expiring licence to the DVLA head office in Swansea though not had it returned.Failure to update a driving licence can result in a fine of £1,000 and up to six penalty points on a licence.

We asked a DLVA spokesman to clarify what this would mean for these individuals.

‘The seven month extension will apply whilst we process any paper applications,’ they said.

‘Providing their entitlement to drive is still valid, drivers with a seven-month extension period will not be committing an offence.’

Commenting on the extension, RAC spokesperson Simon Williams said: ‘Given the restrictions in place presently, a temporary extension to renewing a photocard licence due to expire seems like a sensible step which will have very few negative consequences and is likely to be welcomed by those drivers affected.’

The extension follows the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) decision to introduce an MOT test exemption for six months at the end of March to prevent motorists having to drive their cars during lockdown.

CARS could soon “talk” to each other to warn of dangers such as ice and potholes.

Sensors would scan for risks then use high-speed, low-delay 5G technology to share information across several  miles.

Traffic accidents, which account for more than 1.3million deaths and 50million injuries worldwide every year, would plummet as a result, experts predict.

Dr Dimitrios Liarokapis, of Glasgow Caledonian University, said: “Think of having Tesla-like cars that not only use sensors to scan what’s around them but can also talk to each other.

“I’m sure anyone who has had a bad experience on frozen roads would have benefited from knowing about the dangerous conditions in advance. “They could have adjusted speed or even avoided that route.”

The university’s smart connectivity team has spent years studying how mobile networks can work with vehicles.

Dr Liarokapis said 5G car warning tech could be available within years, and make automated vehicles much safer than today’s manual ones.

He added: “Cars will transmit warning messages to other cars around them using short-range communication technologies, but also to cars further away using 5G, fast and reliably.

“Those cars will send the same information to cars near them and so on, forming a multi-vehicle communication chain stretching far and wide.”

THE CONGESTION charge is to increase by 30% next month and will be extended to seven days a week – as Sadiq Khan struggles to fund London’s transport system.

But how much do you have to pay, and how soon do you have to pay it? Here are all the rules and regs, of the new costs…

The Congestion Zone charge in London is increasing by £4.50 per day – or by 30%.

From June 22, the charge has rise from £11.50 to £15 and the hours it will apply will be extended.