EU pauses plans to ban super-strength kettles out of fear it would drive tea loving Britons towards Brexit
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Version 0 of 1. A ban on super-strength kettles has been put on hold amid fears that it could drive Britain to leave the EU, it has been reported. The European Commission had been planning a number of measures to ban high energy appliances for environmental reasons. However it has now quietly shelved the ban due to concerns that backlash in Britain could drive the country towards a Brexit, The Financial Times reports. The ban would have applied to a number of high powered household appliances which are much loved in the UK, including kettles and toasters. A senior EU official has reportedly said that the commission has paused plans to introduce the rules to be “sensitive to the British obsession with water kettles.” The UK is known internationally for its affection for tea. The average Briton drinks 3 and a half cups of tea per day. Collectively, the UK drinks 62 billion cups per year. The country is also home to a phenomenon known as ‘kettle surges’ whereby electricity demand spikes in conjunction with ad breaks during popular TV shows, as viewers get up from their sofas to make a cup of tea. The National Grid works to anticipate when these surges will occur throughout the year, with particular hot spots being during Wimbledon finals and Strictly Come Dancing finals as viewers reach for the tea bags. In 2014, the EU introduced a programme to phase out high watt vacuum cleaners. In response, Britain saw a sudden panic buying of the appliances as people rushed to purchase one before the deadline. |