Paint giant Dulux has been forced to pay out thousands of pounds in compensation to disgruntled DIY-ers who claimed its ‘brilliant white’ paint is neither brilliant nor white - because it fades to yellow.Customers complained the company’s oil-based paint turns a creamy yellow colour over time - often within weeks of application.Dulux has admitted the problem was caused by new EU regulations which forced it to water down solvent levels in the paint. Lisa Winter, 35, with the doors she painted white... but have since turned yellow But customers left with yellow walls are furious they weren't warned about of the problem before they invested hours painting their homes.Lisa Winter, 35, (pictured) and her husband Martin, 36, have spent hours repainting their home in Yatton, Somerset, after the Dulux paint faded to yellow. The couple painted all the doors and skirting in the hallway, landing, bathrooms and bedrooms in Dulux white satinwood after moving in.Mum-of-two Lisa, a freelance writer, said: 'We recently had the skirting replaced in the hallway and when we put fresh white paint on there it showed up just how yellow the old paint was.'So we’ve had to repaint everything and it’s going to take ages because there are so many doors to do.

Dulux admitted new E.U. regulations have affected the 'white-ness' of its brilliant white paint 'It’s very annoying because you expect white paint to stay white for longer than a few years. Especially when you pay extra for a leading brand name like Dulux.'Colin Beare, 58, was offered £500 in compensation after 11 doors of his home and the flat he rents went yellow just weeks after he applied the paint.But the general manager at a car salvage yard, from Gillingham, Dorset, is now taking the company to the Small Claims Court - insisting it will cost £2,000 to re-paint.He said: 'I feel like I have been cheated - I was devastated when they told me what was wrong with the paint.'It is obviously something they must have known about. I first started to notice it was discolouring after a matter of just weeks.'I eventually came to the realisation that something was not quite right - at first I thought I had done something wrong - it looked horrendous.'To my surprise Dulux actually put their hand up straight away and said ‘yes we have a problem with this paint - it is a problem that we know about’.

It pulls into question why they managed to sell it to me in the first place. They have offered me £500 in compensation but I have estimated it will cost £2,120 to re-paint.The problem emerged in 2010 after the European Union forced all companies to reduce the amount of Volitle Organic Compounds (VOCs) in their oil-based paints.Pitbull Puppies For Sale In Salem OrFirms, including Dulux, were forced to reformulate their paints, but that led to its ‘brilliant white’ substance losing its colour.Window Cleaning Narre WarrenMartin Horler, an expert decoration consultant, explained: 'To get rid of or reduce the amount of VOCs, you had to reduce the solvent.Mitsubishi Plasma Pure Air Purifier Lisa Winter repaints her faded doors with a fresh coat of white paint

'If you reduce the solvent you have to increase something else. So what they would have to do to keep it in liquid form would be to increase the drying oil.'To increase the drying oil unfortunately causes more rapid yellowing of the paint.'Dulux included the VOCs label on its tins - informing customers of the change - but fail to warn customers of the yellowing problem. It even boasted that its paint was ‘long-lasting’.In contrast, rival Crown Paints put on some of its tins: 'Recent changes made to meet the reduced solvent levels...may lead to yellowing over time.'John Chesters, who was given vouchers for new paint and £250 by Dulux after doors and frames in his home turned yellow, added: 'It was if we had chosen a different colour.'It was a real shock. Also we were worried about having to do the work again. It was just totally unacceptable.'Dulux claims it has now solved the problem that had affected a 'small minority' of customers.Matt Pullen, a UK director of Dulux, speaking on BBC’s Watchdog programme which highlighted the issue, said: 'This is a problem that affected the whole industry.'We reformulated our products as did everyone else.

We started to see a problem in the market in 2010 for a small minority of customers under certain conditions.'As soon as we saw that we put all our energies into solving the problem, which we did in 2011.'We focused our efforts on actually solving the problem rather than making a disclaimer against it.'All the products we have produced since 2011 - and is in the shops on sale today - is as good as it was pre-2010.'For those individuals who have had a problem and have complained to us - we’ve resolved 95 per cent of all those complaints in a fair and reasonable way.'People can have confidence in what we are doing.'With the last Bank Holiday weekend of the summer just a few days way, many Brits will be planning a spot of DIY in an attempt to get the home and garden prepped before autumn gets underway. But before you make a dash to your local hardware store, you might want to check when your nearest Homebase, B&Q or Wickes branch will be open on Bank Holiday Monday. We've compiled a handy list of general opening times below, and if you're planning to do your weekly grocery shop over the Bank Holiday too, see our handy guide on supermarkets' opening hours this weekend.

For the nesters and DIY fans who plan on busying themselves over the long weekend break, these are the times your local hardware stores will open. See a full breakdown of B&Q's opening hours below, and you can find out more via B&Q's online store finder. Sunday 28 August - Normal hours - check your local store Monday 29 August - All stores open at usual times and close at 8pm. Find specific times using Homebase's online store finder. Sunday 28 August - Normal hours - check your local store Monday 29 August - All stores open from 7am to 8pm. Customers are advised to double check using their handy store finder tool. Sunday 28 August - Normal hours - check your local store Monday 29 August - Stores in England, Wales and Scotland open until 9pm. Check the opening times over the long weekend using the retailer's store finder tool. Sunday 28 August - Normal hours - check your local store Monday 29 August - Most UK stores open until 5pm.He played a physical, violent, brutal game.

One that tends to weed out weaker players.Shane Wickes excelled at football while playing on the offensive line at McQueen, earning All-Region and All-State honors. But he struggled with being homosexual in the testosterone-driven world.Wickes was not just a benchwarmer, now looking for his 15 minutes of fame. He was a standout 6-foot-3, 240-pound lineman at McQueen, graduating in 2012, then walking on the Boise State football team, before a knee injury ended his playing career.He coached at McQueen for three seasons, and is now coaching linemen at Reed, the five-time defending Northern Region champion.Now Wickes just wants to help other kids who might be struggling the way he did.He did not fully admit to himself he was gay while playing football.“When I was in high school, I had an idea that I was gay. But there’s no way, no how. “There’s that stigma of, you’re a football player. Football is this tough, rugged, manly sport. It wasn’t until I got to college that I was like, ‘Ok, well, this is actually who you are and you’ve got figure out a way to do it.’”

NFL player Michael Sam had come out the summer before Wickes went to Boise. It took Wickes three more years to come out.Wickes said the football culture is one of don’t ask, don’t tell. To that end, he is working with the Sports Equality Foundation to help educate people.Wickes delivered a TEDx talk at the University of Nevada, Reno last fall, talking about being a gay athlete and football coach and why he thought he should come out.“It was really hard to live a normal life, but stay in the closet at the same time. It was a really tough deal that a lot of people go through,” Wickes said. “It was putting a lot of stress and pressure on me. I kind of came to realization that I either needed to walk away from football or see if I could come out and make it work.”At McQueen, he struggled with letting his friends, teammates and coaches know he is gay and admits he suffered from depression and substance abuse.He came out publicly last Thanksgiving, although he says many of friends already knew.

He wants other young athletes, who might be facing a similar situation, to know there is hope and that they are not alone“I’ve met other people going through the same situation,” he said. “That stigma is so isolating and it keeps people from living a normal life and connecting with other people who are like them.”Wickes said a former coach told him a football locker room is offensive to everyone.“But there’s a difference between being offensive and being hateful,” Wickes said.He hopes to raise awareness to let athletes know there are other people going through the same situation.“People are terrified to come out. It’s a tough thing to do,” he said.He searched the internet hoping to find other athletes who had come out and learn how they dealt with it. But after his talk at the Pioneer Center, a national organization, the Sports Equality Foundation, contacted Wickes, as did the Equality Coaches Alliance.That was when he learned he is not alone.“There are other people who can help you through that process and give advice,” he said.“

There’s not that many gay people in sports, especially at the higher levels of football,” Wickes said.Wickes learned a lot from then-Boise State coach Chris Peterson. He said it was not just all football, but more about being a good person and good coach.“I learned a lot of football knowledge, but I also learned how to go about coaching and doing things the right way,” Wickes said. “How to be a good coach. How to be a good leader. Incorporating life into football.”Reed coach Ernie Howren called Wickes a great young coach and said he’s excited to have him on the Raiders’ staff. Howren coached Wickes in the Sertoma Game, which pitted the area’s best football players in a mid-summer football game. The Sertoma game is no longer played.“I knew then he was an amazing young man. I didn’t know he’d be a coach, but you could see in his attitude that he’s a team guy. He’s all about the team and the coaches,” Howren said.Howren is proud of the courage Wickes has shown in coming out.“