Podcasts from Home Consumer Issues

Bonfire Night has crept swiftly upon and the fun has already begun. However, amongst all the colour and noise that comes with the 5th November weekend, there are major safety concerns. Around 1,000 people visit A&E every year with firework related injuries which are usually avoidable. This year already, there have been two incidents, in London. Georgie spoke to fire fighter Pat Goulbourne about how to stay safe.

What are the best foods to eat over Christmas? What is the best way to find out what you would like to eat? And what are the best prices of some of those delicious treats you like feast upon. Sara Benwell takes us through the Christmas taste test and even tastes mince pies in the studio from different suppliers, along with Georgie.

How much are you planning of spending over the holiday season? Do you feel the pressure of giving your loved ones the best gifts possible? The average price people spend on Christmas has been worked at £440 on presents alone. Georgie is joined in the studio by Lisa Hardstaff, credit information expert from Equifax to discuss Christmas spending.

If you are struggling to conceive you may be interested in a new digital resource. Its called BUD which stands for 'babies under development', and the website www.littlebud.com provides a platform for people wanting to share their stories. Robyn Dwyer was joined by founder Tim Heard to hear the story behind BUD.

How dirty is your car? Do you have to wipe the dust off every time you use it? Shockingly, drivers in the UK don't seem to care about the build-up of germs and potentially harmful bacteria in their cars. Scientists at Salford University who carried out a unique experiment to determine how dirty the inside of our cars really get - and it's worse than many people realise. For more information, Robyn Dwyer spoke to hygienist Dr Lisa Ackerley.

How do you feel when you check your finances? Sick to the stomach? We;;, if you are, you are not alone. New research by Atom, the UK's first digital bank, and the Stress Management society has found around a third of people feel nervous or even physically sick when checking their account. Nearly four million of us are lying to our partner about the state of their finances. Neil Shah, Head of the Stress Management Society, joined Robyn Dwyer on the line to explain further.

More than 6.5 million households have either none or very little savings according to new research from The Equality Trust. More than 40 per cent of working households have too little saved to pay even a month's worth of household bills, let alone cover one-off bills such as the typical £540 cost of a replacement boiler. Over a third of households owe more in debt that they have saved. Our reporter Mary Newman spoke to John Hood, from the Equality Trust.