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The super Swedish furniture company Ikea has announced it is recalling a children’s high chair following reports that the chair is a potential danger to children using it, Sky News has reported (source).

According to the report, the locks securing the seat on the “Leopard Chair” can give way, leading to a child falling through frame. It is believed that so far one child has already become a victim of the seat, sustaining bruises to legs after falling through the frame. There are also fears children could choke on the detached locks.

The issue caught the attention of Ikea following 11 reports of the defective snap locks, including the incident above of the child that was injured, and a second incident whereby a detached snap lock was found in a child’s mouth, but was lucky retracted before any damage was done – so the fears are real!
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Well we are still in the midst of the snow storm that’s hit the UK causing havoc for travellers and commuters, as well as hitting utility services with power outs in the worst hit areas. And there’s one story that’s been standing out since Friday and over the weekend.

According to BBC reports (source) and a healthy plastering of the story on the telly, more than 2000 people were trapped inside the channel tunnel for hours as five trains broke down due to the freezing cold causing electrical malfunctions. Some passengers were stuck on trains in sidings at Folkston for more than seven hours, and one commuter’s 2 hour 20 minute journey from Paris turned in to 16 hours of hell!

The lack of organisation amongst the Eurostar staff has been heavily criticised as passengers stuck for hours in the tunnel were exhausted, hungry, without adequate toilet facilities, and cold whilst transfers were arranged for passengers to be evacuated from the broken down trains. According to a TV interview with some passengers that were caught up in the breakdowns, they were “treated like animals” with many staff appearing not even to speak English.
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It seems buses aren’t having a great deal of luck at the moment, following on from my recent article about the bus that went a “bridge too far”; ripping the roof off due to a low bridge. The Mirror has reported of another incident involving a double decker bus in London! (source).

Passengers had to be cut free by the fire service after they became trapped in an overturned bus following a collision with a lorry. The driver of the bus as well as four other people were seriously hurt in the incident which occurred earlier this week during the 8:30am rush hour traffic. Three passengers had to be cut free by emergency services, and a further 13 people required hospital treatment.

A full investigation will be launched by Transport for London, with police enquires ongoing following the arrest of the male lorry driver whom is believed to remain in police custody. The London Ambulance service is said to have taken a 27 year old female and a 30 year old male to St George’s Hospital as a “priority”, and another 30 year old male also being treated as a “priority” was taken to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
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More weather warnings have hit the headlines as heavy snow forecasts are predicted across the UK, with areas in southeast England to be affected the worst, according to the BBC (source).

The Met Office has issued early warnings, with predictions that travel networks will be affected tomorrow (Friday). According to the report, forecasts are predicating up to 20cm of snow in areas in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, London, and East Anglia – complete with gale force winds to cause drifts. As lovely and festive as the snow may be with just one week to go until Santa hits the skies, it’s a time where we are all going to have to be very careful out on the roads!

So what can we do to make sure we stay safe on the snow showered roads, and prevent any accidents form occurring?
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Further to my recent articles on drink driving, according to research drinking coffee in an attempt to sober yourself up from the effects of alcohol is a complete illusion, the BBC has reported (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8403088.stm).

Research on mice has indicated that the drink may make you feel like you are sobering up and coming to your senses, but in actual fact is an illusion. The issue here is that people using the drink in order to sober up and subsequently falling under the false influence that they are OK, are more than likely not. The risk therefore of a person getting in to a vehicle thinking they are OK when they are not and causing an accident increases.

The research results showed the mice to be more alert and awake, but still found to be incompetent when navigating a maze following mixed doses of alcohol and caffeine.

An 18 year old girl has tragically lost her life in a Go Karting accident, according to reports from Sky news (source) and the Mirror (source). 

It is believed that Susan Cornwall’s scarf came loose and got wrapped up the engine of the kart as she raced on the Cambridgeshire Raceway circuit in Caxton. The pull of the scarf is sadly believed to have choked her, with paramedics noting severe neck injuries as they attended her unconscious at the scene.

Cambridgeshire Raceway company secretary Phil Meakins has reportedly informed the Daily Mail that a track marshal had allowed Susan and a group of teenagers to use the circuit after hours. The marshal, named as Andy Kilvin, manually turned off CCTV cameras after hours when he was expected to have locked the premises up, and allowed his girlfriend and five other teenagers to use the site. The marshal has been removed from his position, and the company is considering taking legal action against him. Police and the local council have launched a joint investigation.
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The boss of a fireworks company has been found guilty of manslaughter following the deaths of two fire-fighters due to the dangerous storage of the explosive pyrotechnics, the BBC has reported (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/8412747.stm).

Company owner Martin Winter, 52, was found to be grossly negligent in using the container which was prone to exploding should a fire break out. Martin has been convicted of manslaughter, and the jury are currently debating over his son Nathan Winter, 25, who could face the same conviction. Both have denied the charges brought against them.

The company itself, now named Alpha Fireworks Limited, has been found guilty of two counts of health and safety breaches with the prosecution team against Winter’s alleging he was well aware of the hazards in using the metal container for storage, and knew full well the company’s license did not authorise use of the container in question.
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“It was a miracle none of them was badly hurt or killed…” – this is the general consensus following the story of the bus roof that ripped off like the top of a tin can after trying to get under a low bridge, the Sun has reported (source).

The bus was full of young children, of which 17 age 9 to 10 year olds escaped with minor injuries and remarkably no one was seriously hurt. A witness has reportedly stated “it’s a good job they were only little kids – if they were taller it would have taken their heads off!”

It is reported there were 52 children and teachers on the bus in total, with 10 being taken to hospital and seven treated at the scene. Eye witnesses state there were children screaming, crying and some even bleeding.  The group were on a day trip to the New Walk Museum in Leicester when the accident occurred.
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I have authored a couple of articles recently regarding drink driving and the devastating effects; something which is all the more evident during the festive season. So, here’s a little more on dangerous driving for you!

Mobile Phones

According to a BBC report (source) the figure for people using mobile phones behind the wheel of a vehicle has, interestingly and rather worryingly, increased since tougher penalties were imposed back in 2006. The figure comes from the Transport Research Laboratory which claims 2.6% of drivers used mobile phones whilst driving when the fine rose to £60 with the possibility of three points on the drivers licence in 2006, compared to the figure now which stands at 2.8%. OK, so nominally it’s a small increase; but it’s still an increase nonetheless…
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I personally, and I am sure many of you reading this, have the utmost respect for our countries armed forces given the difficulty and danger in the jobs they face on a day to day basis and the conflicts they serve in. Despite the debate behind the wars currently being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is still important to (irrelevant of one’s agreement or disagreement to the wars) get behind our troops and support them as much as we can.

So it’s sad to hear when those in charge of our countries brave servicemen and women are in the news for  squandering cash to save payouts!

According to the mirror.co.uk (source) it is reported that the Defence Chiefs spent a staggering £90,000 in trying to slash £56,000 in payouts to two wounded soldiers! According to the report, this sum includes massive £28,000 in barristers fees for two days work.
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