The start of the 2011 Christmas Drink Drive campaign has begun, with additional police patrols present throughout December, and random breath tests being carried out at the Roadside.

The penalties for being caught over the limit behind the wheel are harsh, and include and automatic 12 month driving ban, a large fine plus significantly increased insurance premiums for several years after the drink drive ban. Some insurance companies will refuse insurance cover to motorists with a previous conviction for drink driving.

Thanks to virtual court technology, this year drivers found to be over the drink drive limit could be banned from driving within 90 minutes of being caught and arrested

Deputy Chief Constable Alan Pughsley said: “Usually, motorists will be charged with drink-driving and be bailed to appear before the court some weeks later.

“This means until a guilty verdict is reached, they are free to drive. The use of the virtual court system means that the defendant risks losing their licence on the day of charge.”

Virtual courts were first trialled in Kent during 2010 as part of the drink-drive campaign season, resulting in 17 people appearing before a magistrate via the video link-up. A police spokesman said that in one case a motorist was banned from driving less than 90 minutes after being charged.

The only true way of ensuring that you remain below the drink drive limit is to drink no alcohol at all. Motorists should also bear in mind that after a long drinking session the previous evening, that they may still be over the limit when driving to work early the following morning. If in any doubt whatsover, arrange a lift or use public transport as the penalties for being over the drink drive limit the following morning, are just as same as being caught on the way home from the pub.

So the drink drive message this Christmas is clear. If you intend to drink alcohol down the pub or at the office christmas party, then leave the car at home, and either arrange a taxi, public transport or a designated driver to ensure that everybody gets home safetly.

Share on Facebook

Be warned, it could prove “financial madness”, according to Britain’s top plumber, who also says many modern condensing boilers simply aren’t up to the job.

London based Pimlico Plumbers managing director Charlie Mullins says most people would be far better off avoiding the scheme if it involves ripping out an inefficient, but functioning boiler. He warns that new models can be problematic, expensive to repair and often don’t last.

Mr Mullins questions whether the £50m boiler scrappage scheme will help the people who most need it. He argues that it gives the well-off an “unnecessary grant”.

Under the terms of the scheme, households in England can get a £400 grant towards the cost of installing a new A-rated condensing boiler. To be eligible, most households have to be prepared to spend the typical £2,000 cost of replacing their old but working boiler. Only the over-60s can trade in a defunct model.

To get the cash voucher your existing oil or gas model has to be one of the 4m G-rated boilers. If it has a pilot light it’s probably eligible.

When the scheme was launched earlier this month, the government said it would help 125,000 homes, and save as much carbon as taking 45,000 cars off the roads. It quoted Energy Savings Trust figures showing that those taking it up would see their gas bills fall 30%, cutting the average household’s energy bill by £234 a year.

So far around 16,000 households have received a £400 voucher. However, there are growing concerns that thousands of functioning boilers will be replaced with more efficient, but less reliable or durable models, that in some cases will last just a few years before they have to be replaced.

Mullins says consumers should know what they are getting into before they sign

up. “Boilers of old would typically last 10 to 15 years, if not longer. But some of the new condensing models just don’t last, and when they go wrong they are complicated and expensive to repair. We have been ripping out boilers that have done just three to six years’ service, and have become uneconomic to repair,” he says.

“Clearly condensing boilers are much more energy efficient, use much less gas and are better for the environment, but if you look at the scheme purely in economic terms, it is madness to spend around £2,000 to scrap a boiler that’s working perfectly well.”

He wonders who the scheme, which is not means tested, is designed to benefit. “Labour’s £400 subsidy is only going to help people who could have afforded a new boiler in the first place. They say it will help poor families cut their heating bills by £200 a year, but where are they going to get the other £1,600 from?”

A glance at the various plumbing and DIY websites shows that many buyers are unhappy with their condensing boilers.

Reports of reliability levels vary enormously according to the manufacturer.

Poor installation is apparently responsible for a large share of breakdowns. However, some models appear to have known weaknesses. The recent spate of cold weather call outs to the owners of condensing models because of frozen outlet pipes, hasn’t helped.

Clearly, there is little point in spending £1,600 on a boiler that is only going to last six years – even if it does reduce your annual gas bill by more than £200. Also, to get that saving you’ve got to be spending at least £780 a year on gas. Many people living in small homes are unlikely to get anywhere near the promised savings.

Choice to be limited to A-grade models

Pimlico Plumbers says that for anyone needing to replace a broken boiler, two brands – Worcester Bosch and Vokera – stand out as the most reliable. Its views mirror a recent Which? report, which named Worcester Bosch, Vaillant and Vokera boilers as the most reliable, although 26%-29% of the consumer group’s members with those brands had reported some kind of problem during the previous four years.

Carl Arntzen, director of the Worcester Bosch Group, says that from October, UK consumers’ choice of boilers will be limited to A-rated condensing models following a change to building regulations.

“Condensing boilers got a bad reputation for reliability when they first appeared in the late 80s and early 90s, but they have dramatically improved in recent years and we think the models we produce today are more reliable and longer lasting than the models we were selling a decade ago.” He says the claimed 30% efficiency savings are based on trials by the Energy Saving Trust.

If you are going ahead, it will pay to research the reliability of any boilers on your short-list. Installers tend to have favourites and you should check them with a Google search, which should show up known weak spots.

In the long run it may pay to choose a more expensive boiler. The brands above do cost more, but who wants to spend weeks without heating in the middle of a cold snap?

Boiler fix required a kettle of hot water

Thousands of condensing boilers stopped working during the spell of sub-zero temperatures, but in many cases, the fix was just a kettle-full of hot water away.

In most cases, the problem was caused by condensate (moisture from the flue) that had gradually frozen and was blocking the outlet pipe. Boilers are designed to shut down if the pipe becomes blocked, to prevent damage.

The problem caused thousands of call-outs to British Gas. The company responded by putting a page on its website advising customers what to do, complete with a YouTube video clip showing viewers how to defrost their pipes.

Once the ice plug was removed, the boilers would have restarted.

Installed free … but what about the £573 repair bill?

When disabled pensioner Heather Campbell had a new condensing boiler installed, organised by her local authority, she was delighted.

However, just three and half years later, the housebound 65-year-old, who lives in south-west London with the help of a carer, has been presented with a bill of £573 to get her Glow Worm 30cxi working again.

It broke down on 27 December and she called out British Gas. Despite two attempts, the engineer could not fix it.

Local plumbers, ThermoServ, then came to her rescue and got it working but only after replacing the motherboard and the display – at a total cost, including labour, of £573.

Campbell says: “I was only able to pay the bill because I had recently received a tax rebate – although British Gas has since agreed to pay almost half the bill as its staff appear to have made matters worse.

“If it happens again, I simply won’t be able to pay to repair it – I’ve lost confidence in it and have since bought a fan heater just in case.”

Her story raises the question of whether vulnerable consumers, who have a boiler given to them, also need free backup for the lifespan of the unit. A spokesman for Coldbusters,­ part of CEN, the body which installed her boiler, said customers­ are now given two years aftercare, although this was not the case when she took delivery.

After that, it is down to the householder to pay for servicing and any repairs that are required.

Warm Front, the national scheme which similarly provides boilers to those in need does the same.

Related Links

• Energy Saving Trust: More information on the boiler scrappage scheme
• Central Heating: Heating advice and finding an installer
• Boiler scrappage scheme launched – BBC News
• Boiler scrappage scheme: Is your boiler eligible? – BBC The One Show Consumer Advice from Dom Littlewood

Share on Facebook

The impact of the recent heavy snow and weather on the economy is evident, with todays announcement that the ‘Ethel Austin’ clothes chain enters into administration, blaming the New Year severe weather as a factor in the damaging effect on trading.  Nearly 4,000 jobs are at risk.  This is the second time in two years the company has called in administrators.

If the weather continues to cause disruption, UK economic recovery from the recession will be seriously affected, economists warn.

Ethel Austin was founded in 1934.  Visit Ethel Austin web site

See BBC Weather for Buxton

See Buxton Weather in detail

See Car owneres urged to avoid using car in severe weather conditions

The eastern US is currently experiencing the worst snowfall in decades – Read more from the BBC

Share on Facebook

Because employers and organisations can face fines of £5,000 per un-vetted staff allowed to work without the correct enhanced CRB in place, employees are being ‘laid off’ until the enhanced check is returned.  Consequently, with no income, personal bills can not be paid and debt is amassed.  Instances of homes repossessed due to outstanding CRBs are increasing.

Currently, there is no benefit support scheme to assist those employed but with no income waiting for CRB checks to be completed.

The Conservatives have pledged to look into the whole system if they win the next General Election, but that is little consolation to those whose family sanctuary has already been repossessed / about to be repossessed.

One care provider stated online that her employer had waited eight months for forms to be replied to: “people looking for work are on jobseekers and are being sent to three interviews per week even though they have a job, but are waiting for the CRB.  It’s ridiculous considering this is a much needed service but its being made so difficult for people to get into a job in care.”

Hundreds of innocent people ‘wrongly branded criminals’

Enhanced CRB forms can also sometimes disclose unproven allegations; “soft” information, rumour and hearsay, even where this information has never been heard in a court, and sometimes even when this information has been heard and the person concerned acquitted.

Broken system

In 2009, Richard Baum, the Liberal Democrat Councillor for the St Mary’s ward of Bury Council, and Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Bury North, said on his website: “Over £600m has now been spent by private firms, the government, and individual job applicants, paying for CRB checks, which are necessary background checks performed prior to taking up work with vulnerable adults and all young people. Despite the need to ensure that people are safe, it is now clear that the system is broken.”

“I have long been campaigning for a fairer system for “enhanced” CRB checks, which can currently include hearsay evidence, unproven and contested accusations and rumour.”

Jenny Willott, the Lib Dem Cabinet Office Spokesperson, has said that “something is seriously wrong. These comments come as the Lib Dems reveal that the cost of a CRB check has risen by 45% in the last three years. At the same time, the number of delays of more than one month has greatly increased. Last year over 400,000 people were stopped from starting jobs or voluntary placements by delays in the system of over a month.”

culture of suspicion

“Of course it’s necessary to protect the vulnerable. But the government has gone too far in its attempts to create a risk-free society that can never realistically be achieved. We have now arrived at a situation so mired in bureaucracy that millions of people are paying lots of money for checks that many of them don’t need, and often have to repeat each time they change employer or role or even place of work.”

Mr Baum added “I ask for anyone who has been in touch previously about a CRB problem, or who would like to get in touch about one, to do so. If you want I can pass your details on to those interested in giving more publicity to trying to reform the system.”

We would also like to hear if your circumstances have been affected by overdue CRB checks. Please contact buxtonnews@googlemail.com

Sources:

Richard Baum

Share on Facebook

Drivers are urged to avoid car journeys and  use public transport during poor weather conditions.

Keep up to date with Buxton Weather information here.

Share on Facebook

Police said the victim was attacked by a man outside the Walkabout bar on Market Place 30 minutes after he refused him entry.

He is now in a stable condition at the Royal Derby Hospital after the incident which happened at 2115 GMT on Wednesday.

A 45-year-old man has been arrested and is being questioned by police.

• Source

Share on Facebook

A man, who said he was from the water board, targeted a property in Stanton Road, Sandiacre, on Wednesday.

He kept the 75-year-old victim talking and she later discovered that cash was missing.

Three similar incidents happened in Stanley Common, Ilkeston and South Normanton later that day. Police are investigating whether they are linked.

An 85-year-old woman became suspicious after a man who said he wanted to check her water supply entered her home at Hill Close, Stanley Common.

Nothing was taken but the victim was treated for shock by paramedics.

Cash was taken from an 85-year-old man at his Canal Street home in Ilkeston.

Later, two men, posing as builders, stole cash from a couple at their home in The Croft, South Normanton.

Supt Kul Mahay said: “Distraction burglars prey upon elderly and vulnerable people who are trusting of strangers.

“We would appeal that anyone with information about these incidents contact police to help us catch these criminals.”

Source

Share on Facebook

Figures released by the authority show 108 girls under the age of 18 became pregnant in the three months ending in September 2008.

Officials said it was the lowest number of pregnancies in that age group for any quarterly period for five years.

Youngsters are encouraged to delay having sex or use protection.

Councillor Tracy Critchlow, cabinet member for young people, said: “We are very pleased that the latest figures show the positive effects of our work to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies.

“The effort of the Derbyshire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership to reduce conceptions is clearly working – but there is much more to be done.

“Reducing the number of teenage pregnancies is complex – combining health, education and social issues – with no easy solution.

“It’s important that numbers continue to decrease because teenage mothers and their children tend to be poorer, less healthy and less happy throughout their lives, compared to families where parents start their families later.”

The Derbyshire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership includes the county council, district councils, Derbyshire County Primary Care Trust, Connexions, NHS Tameside and Glossop, schools and Derbyshire Youth Council members.

Source

Share on Facebook