Cowboy Builders host Dominic Littlewood is still spooked by a ghostly encounter he had as a teen.
The telly presenter lived with his dad and grandma after his parents split up. Dom says: “Nan had a really old, creepy cottage in a beautiful village called Heybridge Basin.
“A friend came over to stay and we were in the bedroom in two single beds. We heard my dad going downstairs and the door shut. Then we thought we heard him come up the stairs and stop right outside the bedroom.
“I said to my friend, ‘You’re going to end up having to sleep on the settee because my dad has come home,’ as I thought he was away for the weekend.” But his father didn’t show up.
Dom added: “We lay there and no-one came in. We waited and waited and when we got up no-one was there. When I contacted my dad he was away at sea sailing.
“To this day my friend and I cannot explain what it was – very creepy. We heard ‘him’ come up the creaking stairs but ‘he’ never went down again.
“Maybe it was the ghost of a cowboy builder and I’ve been possessed!”
Dom is supporting a new campaign with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero encouraging people to take small steps to reduce their energy bills.
He visited homes on a real road called Energy Street to share tips on how to battle the cost-of-living crisis. Dom adds: “If you look after the pennies, the pounds will look after you.
If you insulate the water tank that’s saving £50 a year, when you turn your clothes wash down to a lower temperature that’s about £20 a year, reducing your boiler flow temperature is £70 a year and by the time you add it up you’re in the hundreds.
”So what would Dom like to help ease the pressure on households? He says: “We’d all like to see a freeze on price increases. I would really like to see your daily usage charges go.“Why should we be paying when we’re not using energy? You’re turning things off to save on one hand but companies are still taking it on the other.
“Standing charges are something this country needs to shake by the roots. Whether we’re going to get stability in Russia and Ukraine is well off and the other countries we’re having problems with.
“What we have to do is what we can do to cut our costs back and have a more comfortable life and not be feeling the pinch as much, especially in February and March – they’re bitter months.”
Dom’s top tips on small steps to reduce energy bills…Insulate hot water cylinders: “If it was bought in the last 10-15 years it will have some sort of insulation already but it doesn’t do any harm to stick an extra jacket on as well.“It’s like putting two blankets on the bed instead of one. If it’s an old tank you will be losing a fortune.
”Reduce the flow temperature on combi-boilers: “If you’ve got a combi you should be turning your flow down to about 60, but if you’ve got a storage tank you shouldn’t go below 65 because there is the possibility that Legionnaires’ disease can breed under that temperature.”
Block draughts: “Draughts are a real killer of warmth in a room. If your fire is not on, try chimney socks – you put them up like a balloon. If you haven’t got a draught excluder, make one from a pair of old tights and old rags or socks and put it at the doors.
Think before switching on: “Don’t waste energy on heating rooms you don’t use but if you’ve got an ailment then you should think about your comfort – save money in other areas first.“Last year I had three blocked arteries and got rushed into triple heart bypass surgery.“I make sure I am more comfortable in my living environment now as although I’m fit as a butcher’s dog.”
Visit gov.uk/saveenergy for more information on making simple changes and cutting costs on energy bills.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
