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A UK inquest has confirmed former One Direction star Liam Payne’s medical cause of death as "polytrauma". A hearing, held on December 17 according to Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court, was told it may take “some time” to conclude how the 31-year-old died.

Payne died after falling from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and five people have been charged in relation to his death. The hotel’s manager, a receptionist and a friend of Payne have been charged with manslaughter, Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office previously said in a statement.

Those charged have reportedly been named as hotel manager Gilda Martin, receptionist Esteban Grassi and Payne’s friend Roger Nores. Two others, hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra and waiter Braian Paiz, have been charged with supplying cocaine.

The inquest into Payne’s death in the UK has been adjourned until a pre-inquest review on November 6, the coroner’s court said. His medical cause of death was confirmed by Dr Roberto Victor Cohen as “polytrauma”, meaning multiple traumatic injuries.

The hearing was also told Payne, who was described as a “singer and entertainer” during the hearing, was formally identified “with the assistance of the funeral directors in Buckinghamshire.”

Senior Coroner Crispin Butler said during the hearing: “Whilst there are ongoing investigations in Argentina into the circumstances of Liam’s death, over which I have no legal jurisdiction, it is anticipated that procuring the relevant information to address particularly how Liam came by his death may take some time through the formal channel of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.”

Payne’s funeral took place in November in Buckinghamshire and was attended by Cheryl Tweedy, the mother of his son Bear, and fellow One Direction stars Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, along with his family and friends.

Following One Direction's hiatus announcement, Liam Payne launched a successful solo career, releasing his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019. The album contained the songs Polaroid and Strip That Down featuring Quavo, and the track For You with Rita Ora.

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Tucked away in North London, Hampstead station boasts the title of being the deepest on the London Underground network with an impressive spiral staircase spiralling over 320 steps above ground.

This makes it the biggest staircase on the Tube - beating out some pretty stiff competition.

Below the surface at a depth of 58.5 metres due to the area's steep hill incline, this part of Camden Borough sits snugly between its neighbours, Golders Green and Belsize Park stations on the Edgware branch of the Northern line.

Designer Leslie Green is the mastermind behind the charming June 1907 establishment.

Initially pegged as Heath Street during its conception, a nod still visible in the vintage tiling on the platforms, the station eventually took the name of its local high street.

The lift shaft here plunges 55 metres underground, holding the record for the deepest of its kind in the tube system.

Thankfully, a set of high-speed lifts, upgraded back in 2014, spares commuters the daunting climb. However, should these elevators fail, one would face a vertical trek equivalent to a five-storey building to escape the underworld onto street level.

A warning sign at the station serves a stark reminder: "This spiral staircase has more than 320 steps. Hampstead is the deepest station on the Underground and climbing this staircase is equivalent to climbing a 15-storey building. If you have any difficulties walking, please wait for the next available lift."

Cross your fingers those elevators keep working!

However, Hampstead station only earns the title of "deepest" on the Tube network if you measure from the surface of the ground. Given that Hampstead's depth is due to its location under a massive hill, some might argue this gives it an unfair advantage.

If you consider the deepest stations in terms of their distance below sea level, London Bridge takes the crown.

Its platforms are a staggering 22 metres below sea level, while Southwark, Elephant and Castle and Pimlico follow closely, with depths of 21, 18 and 16 metres below sea level respectively.

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White Stuff shoppers are loving a dress that's perfect for the chilly season and beyond. Both practical and stylish, it's a versatile piece that can easily be paired with knitwear for extra warmth or worn on its own.

And the popular Rua Sparkle Jersey Dress has just had its price slashed as part of the retailer's ongoing sales. Available in petite and regular, it's now £35, down from £69.

Made from 98 per cent cotton, it's cut in a classic fit with a collar and 3/4 sleeves. The midi-length garment also features pockets, and is machine washable for easy care.

READ MORE: Alaskan Mountain Warehouse 3-in-1 coat with 6 different colours under £100 in clearance deal

For a trendy but comfortable look, you can add a pair of ballet flats, such as the £40 Loral Stud Mary Jane from White Stuff. The dress has a 4.4 rating from across 2045 reviews.

A very pleased shopper wrote: "Love the dress, very comfortable and great fit without being clingy. Had many compliments when I wore it over Christmas - I would buy another in a different pattern/colour."

Another added: "Comfortable dress, great length, suits all kinds of occasions. Doesn’t crease , and will be suitable for autumn right through to spring."

To see all the best Deals, Sales and Bargains in London, check out our Facebook group.

A third commented: "Love the style, it makes for effortless dressing. Goes with flats, heels and boots and can be dressed up or down with jewellery."

Some customers, however, complained about the fit: "Disappointed with this dress, it didn't have any shape to it and hung like a sack on me. Having ordered petite the length was perfect but the style wasn't flattering at all, for me."

Alternatively, there's the Tie Front Midi Shirt Dress from Celtic & Co. It has been reduced from £155 to £77, and is available in sizes 8 to 18. There's also the £146 Ruby Collarless Shirt Dress from Boden. It comes in navy and red, both with a different print, as well as plain navy (£136).

You can get the £35 White Stuff Rua Sparkle Jersey Dress here and the £40 White Stuff Loral Stud Mary Jane here. Shop the £77 Tie Front Midi Shirt Dress at Celtic & Co and the £146 Ruby Collarless Shirt Dress at Boden.

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Amazon has knocked a massive £100 off a fully automatic pasta maker. Originally £299.99, the Philips Pasta Maker Series 7000 is now £199.99.

You can also get the machine for £299.99 at Philips and £199.99 on eBay. The pasta maker is fully automatic, doing everything from mixing the dough to shaping the pasta.

It uses ProExtrude technology to knead the perfect dough. There's also auto-weighing technology that indicates the correct amount of liquid to add to the flour.

READ MORE: 'Best machine you can buy for your kitchen' is now £30 off on Amazon

The machine allows you to go gluten-free, add extra ingredients, and experiment with your pasta. There are eight shaping discs to make dumplings, penne, fettuccine, spaghetti, angel hair, thick spaghetti, tagliatelle, and pappardelle.

The pasta maker has 4.4 stars from 107 reviews. One persons said: "Absolutely brilliant. We have only used this once but it did exactly what it said on the box! Great fun to use, the pasta was lovely and then you shove everything in the dishwasher!

To see all the best Deals, Sales and Bargains in London, check out our Facebook group .

"All the accessories apart from the plastic measuring jug fit in the drawer at the front. My only gripe is I would have liked storage for the flex. Highly recommended."

Another wrote "Words cannot do justice for how good this machine is. The self measuring allows you to create the perfect consistency dough and it’s effortless. The interchangeable discs are great and I have ordered more shapes to keep it interesting. The cleaning tools are very handy, would be difficult to clean the discs without these.

"When it comes to washing I find it easiest to leave the dough to dry out so I can scrape out instead of wetting the dough and making a mess. Inside the machine seems to be anti-stick which makes the task of cleaning so much quicker."

"This just does the job every time... highly recommend," a third said. Of the negative reviews, one person wrote "You get zero information to use this machine the learning curve is very steep even with a little bit of knowledge from making pasta the old fashioned way it's useless for this machine...bad."

Alternatively, you can try the SMART Stainless Steel Pasta Maker, which is £199 at Dunelm. For something more traditional, there's the Marcato Atlas Roller 180 Pasta Machine, which is £98 at John Lewis.

You can buy the Philips Pasta Maker Series 7000 from Amazon, Philips and eBay. Get the SMART Stainless Steel Pasta Maker from Dunelm and the Marcato Atlas Roller 180 Pasta Machine from John Lewis.

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London's extensive transport system is tough to navigate at the best of times. You have stations like Edgware and Edgware Road which are more than 10 miles away from each other; while White City and Wood Lane - just a few hundred metres apart - would take more than half an hour to travel between on the Tube.

But within this complicated system, some stations are weirdly separated from the places they serve by borough boundary lines, This is the case for Finsbury Park station which is situated in Islington, despite Finsbury Park itself actually being found in Haringey.

A busy stop on both the Victoria and Piccadilly lines, it can be found on Station Place which also serves as a bus interchange. But if you walk about 30 metres towards Stroud Green Road and you will have crossed the border into Haringey.

The gates to Finsbury Park are situated on the other side of the road, from which the expansive green space can be accessed via a walkway.

Islington isn't the only London borough which Finsbury Park borders. Cross either Seven Sisters Road on its southern edge or part of Green Lanes to the east and you'll actually end up in Hackney.

The North London station seems to have a history of misassociation. Walk along the Victoria line platform and you'll stumble across a mosaic of duelling pistols.

The location of this tribute is somewhat misplaced. Contrary to what the mural suggests, Finsbury Park was not the primary location for these deadly disputes. It most likely refers to Finsbury Fields, site once nestled in the City of London, where these duels took place.

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The number of mortgage approvals made to home buyers dipped in November, but remained above the monthly average seen over the past year, according to Bank of England figures.

Some 65,700 mortgage approvals for house purchases were recorded in November, which was around 2,400 lower than October but above the previous 12-month average of 60,400.

Approvals for remortgaging (which only capture remortgaging with a different lender) decreased by 300 to 31,200 in November but remained above the previous 12-month average of 30,000.

The annual growth rate for consumer credit borrowing slowed to 6.6% in November, from 7.3% in October, according to the Money and Credit report. Consumer credit includes borrowing through methods such as credit cards, car dealership finance and personal loans.

Within the consumer credit figure, the annual growth rate for credit card borrowing decreased to 8.0% in November, from 9.4%. The annual growth rate for other forms of consumer credit (such as car dealership finance and personal loans) fell to 5.9% from 6.3%.

Households’ deposits with banks and building societies increased slightly by £0.2 billion in November, following net deposits of £18.8 billion in October, which had been the biggest figure recorded since £21.5 billion in December 2020.

Mark Hicks, head of active savings, Hargreaves Lansdown said: “A post-Budget pause marked the start of a seasonal slowdown in savings.

“Savers had been squirreling away cash ahead of the Budget, and after the announcement didn’t hit quite as hard as they had feared, they took their foot off the savings accelerator.”

Laith Khalaf, head of investment analysis at AJ Bell, said the figures suggest that “consumers put the Christmas credit splurge on ice in 2024, especially seeing as November is now a key trading month because of discounting trends such as Black Friday, where retailers seek to bring festive spending forward.

“We’ll be getting trading updates from the UK retailers in the coming weeks which will confirm whether Christmas was a damp squib for the sector.

“Ahead of higher national insurance and minimum wage costs bedding in from April, weak Christmas trading would put extra pressure on retail coffers.

“It’s possible consumers ran down savings to fund their early Christmas spending, rather than turning to much more expensive credit facilities. In total consumers saved £0.2 billion with banks and building societies in November, down from a bumper £18.8 billion deposited in October.”

Mark Harris, chief executive of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients, said: “Mortgage approvals for new purchases slipped, which comes as a surprise and suggests ups and downs for the market in coming months rather than a steady improvement.

“Remortgaging numbers dipped very slightly, but this could mean more borrowers stuck with their existing mortgage providers rather than switching to a new lender.”

Nathan Emerson, chief executive of property professionals’ body Propertymark said: “The impact of higher interest rates without doubt has had a profound impact across the housing market.

“Consumers need to feel a degree of confidence within their financial position to approach the buying and selling process.”

Jason Tebb, president of OnTheMarket said: “While affordability remains an issue for many buyers, the new year is off to a promising start with a couple of lenders reducing their mortgage rates.

“If others follow suit, this should encourage would-be buyers to take the plunge, making them more confident as to what they can commit to and can afford, particularly ahead of the stamp duty concession ending in March.”

The “nil rate” stamp duty threshold for first-time buyers is set to reduce from £425,000 to £300,000 from April. Stamp duty applies in England and Northern Ireland.

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A cleaning gadget that I recently put to the test, which breathed new life into my carpets, has had its price slashed by £100. The Shark CarpetXpert HairPro Pet Deep Carpet Cleaner is now up for grabs at a tempting discount, dropping from £349.99 to £249.99, in their January Sale.

I gave this cleaner - which is sold out on Amazon - a whirl on my own carpets, which were looking a bit worse for wear thanks to my dog, and I have to say, I was seriously impressed. Straight out of the box, it looks like a vacuum cleaner, albeit a bit heavier.

The Shark CarpetXpert HairPro Pet Deep Carpet Cleaner comes with five attachments for the StainStriker tube, as well as a bottle of StainStriker and CarpetXpert cleaning formula. The setup process is pretty straightforward, with a handy instruction manual to guide you through it.

READ MORE: Silentnight heated blanket 'stops complaints in their tracks'

READ MORE: 'Super comfy' M&S joggers are 'smart enough to be worn at the office'

If you're tech-savvy, there's a QR code you can scan to access 'how to' videos. Attaching the tube is a breeze, and filling up the tanks is self-explanatory - just make sure to put the correct liquid in each compartment, plug it in, and you're good to go.

When I first emptied the dirty water tank, I was simultaneously shocked, repulsed, and amazed. A huge clump of hair had gathered in the filter section, surrounded by grimy water (I'll spare you the picture as it's a bit unpleasant), reports Wales Online.

I regularly vacuum the carpets and was quite shocked to see the amount of dog hair that had accumulated, yet I was equally impressed by how effortlessly the Shark removed it. Each time I emptied the tank, I was astounded by the sheer volume of hair that must have been hidden deep within the carpet fibres, which even a powerful vacuum hadn't shifted.

Shark makes bold claims about its cleaner, such as it removes "three times more pet hair than any upright carpet cleaner" and it "instantly removes stains and odours with 20 times more stain striking power". However, one aspect that didn't impress me was the hose.

Its design, meant for wrapping around the machine, isn't perfect, and I found the hose kept detaching as I moved the machine around. After it happened a few times, it became irritating, so I ended up disconnecting it while using the main body of the machine and only reattaching it when I needed the StainStriker tool.

Also, the tank isn't particularly large, so don't expect to clean your entire house in one session; you'll need to refill it with water and cleaning solution quite often, as well as empty the dirty water tank.

You can pick up the Shark CarpetXpert HairPro Pet Deep Carpet Cleaner on Shark. Other cleaners out there include the Vax Platinum Smartwash Carpet Cleaner which is £198 on Amazon, or the Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Upright Carpet Cleaner, down to £189 from £219.99 on Argos.

The Bissell SpotClean Pet Cleaner, available on Amazon for £109, has been showered with praise from happy customers. One chuffed buyer shared: "I bought this for pet stain removal. I used it on my sofa too and was amazed how good it came up. For a small cleaner, it's great."

If you're not keen on buying one outright, supermarkets such as Asda and Tesco offer Rug Doctor rentals.

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