New Police Approach to Catch Drink Drivers Successful

Police in Derbyshire have been praised following a considerable increase in the number of people caught drink driving over the festive period.

According to the BBC, throughout December officers stopped 1,011 people, 121 of whom tested positive or refused to provide a sample. That is an 11% success rate. This compares exceptionally well with the previous year where they stopped 4,500 motorists and only achieved a 4% positive test rate.

Police targeted persistent drink drivers or acted on information from informants and the general public.

Chief Inspector, Tim Frohwein, conceded to being disappointed to find that such large numbers of people were still drink driving, despite a campaign to crackdown on the numbers by distributing posters and leaflets in pubs and clubs, but was pleased with the response of the general public, stating that “People who suspected others of getting behind the wheel after a drink called the police to tell us” and “We are grateful to these callers for their assistance”.
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Woman Killed By Train as Level Crossing Barriers Fail to Operate

A passenger has been killed after a train hit two cars on a level crossing. The 50 year old woman was airlifted from the crash, which happened on Saturday in Moreton-on-Lugg, Herefordshire, to hospital but doctors were unable to save her.

According to the BBC, there was originally some confusion as to how the two vehicles had ended up on the track and Network Rail has been investigating the incident in conjunction with British Transport Police. Following the accident, rail services in the area have been suspended and a replacement bus service provided.

Reports state that the safety barriers for the level crossing may not have come down prior to the accident, although following checks the level crossing has now been declared fully operational.
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Strangled By Scarf Whilst Go-Karting

Susan Carnwell from Hardwick in Cambridge was only 18 when the tragic accident happened at indoor go karting track in Caxton.

Susan is believed to have gone to the raceway with a group of people who had been invited by one of the staff ‘after hours’

The raceway company secretary has confirmed that the marshal who arranged the out of hours session has been sacked and the company is considering taking legal action against him.
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It will be lonely for some – thanks to Flyglobespan

Sky News heard that thousands of holiday makers will be stranded as the low budget airline formally known as globspan group PLC has gone bust!

The Edinburgh based airline has gone into administration and their administrators PriceWaterhousCoopers (PWC) confirmed they have failed to secure a new investor.

Not only will passengers be stranded, but over 800 employers will lose their jobs.

It is estimated that 4,5000 passengers alone are in Egypt and the Mediterranean and there are no flights home with the Airline.
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Government Issues Thalidomide Apology

The government has issued a formal apology to the victims of the thalidomide scandal in respite efforts following the harrowing affects the drug has had on the victims, according to the BBC (source).

Health minister Mike O’Brien on behalf of the government expressed “sincere regret” and “deep sympathy” to the hundreds of victims of the German developed drug which was used in the 1950’s and 60’s to help pregnant women with insomnia and morning sickness.

It was quite a big story in the last contrary so I am sure many of you are aware of the devastating effects the drug’s use had on the children born from mothers using the drug. Hundreds of children were born with severe limb deformities and internal damage, and the government has promised more money to be made available to the remaining 466 survivors.  Mr O’Brien went on to say that the government acknowledges “physical hardship and the emotional difficulties that have faced both the children affected and their families as a result of this drug, and the challenges that many continue to endure often on a daily basis.”
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MP Receives Tanning Ban Support from Girls Aloud Star

A campaign by a Welsh MP to ban the use of tanning salon sunbeds by under-18s is receiving backing from the government and has been lent support by Nicola Roberts, a member of pop group Girls Aloud.

According to the BBC, the singer plans to make a documentary highlighting the dangers of the tanning industry.

Health secretary Andy Burnham said the scientific evidence of harm to skin and a link to skin cancer was clear and the a bill has been put forward by Cardiff North MP Julie Morgan to get the use of salons by under-18s banned.
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Man paralysed in RTA receives £8.35million in compensation

A gentleman from Pontefract left paralysed from the neck down following a car crash has been awarded £8.35 million in compensation.

According to the BBC, Mr Lukasz Borowski was a passenger in a work colleague’s car when the driver crashed in to a ditch in Cambridgeshire.

The sum, awarded at Newcastle High court, will pay for Mr Borowski’s long term care. He suffered damage to his spinal cord, a fractured spine and also suffered from brain damage as a result of the road traffic accident. According to Mr Borowski’s lawyer the settlement value was in fact nearly £10.5 million, however, Mr Borowski accepted a 20% reduction in damages because he was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.
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Insurers Challenge of Scottish Asbestos Law Rejected

Asbestos; a potentially hazardous silicate when its fibres are inhaled by humans, has been in and out of the press so many times over the past decades with court cases for compensation and stories of the illnesses it can lead to. According to BBC sources (source) UK insurance companies have been attempting to invalidate Scotland’s asbestos compensation act!

After a 22 day hearing at Court of Session, Lord Emslie ruled to reject the insurance companies bid to actually invalidate the law which gives victims the right to claim for the compensation they are entitled to!

The act allows sufferers of pleural plaques (which is not classed as a disease and has no symptoms, but does signify an increased risk of developing mesothelioma from the asbestos exposure) to claim for compensation, with insurers stating that it benefits a small number of people who have suffered no harm and is therefore a “disproportionate and excessive burden on insurers running into hundreds of millions, if not billions, of pounds”.
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Shell Fined Following Accident at Cheshire Refinery

Oil giant Shell and two of its contractors have been fined £283,000 by the Health and Safety Executive following an accident at one of their oil refineries which left a worker paralysed from the waist down.

According to The Times, the accident occurred at the Ellesmere Port  complex in Cheshire in 2007. A 500 kilogram container fell from a height of 30ft down on to the walkway below, landing on Mr Stephen Rizzotti and breaking his back, pelvis and both legs, leaving him wheelchair bound. The HSE labelled the incident as “totally avoidable” and Shell pleaded guilty to contravening the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 at Warrington Crown Court. Shell and its contracting companies conceded that they had “failed to provide a safe working environment” but did note that they “have taken steps…to prevent a recurrence” since the accident.

It is important that the HSE continues to put to task companies who fail in their duty of care to their employees and the scale of this fine will hopefully spur on Shell to continue to make safety adjustments where necessary to ensure that not only is there no recurrence of this incident but also that future potential safety hazards are identified and reasonable provisions put in place to limit the chances of accidents occurring. Employers are required to perform risk assessments on their system of working and operations in general and this is an ongoing requirement which needs regular review to ensure the safety of employees.
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Lorry Driver Crushes Vehicle On M1

A lorry driver caused a crash on the M1, hitting a car and killing two people, Leicester Crown court heard yesterday.

The driver of the lorry, 75-year-old Mr John Leadenham, crashed in to the rear of Paul and Doreen Tomlinson’s vehicle on the M1 in October 2008. Their car was then crushed against another lorry.

Mr Leadenham is accused of braking too late on the motorway having failed to note traffic braking ahead because of an accident. He braked at 17 metres before the queue of vehicles and came to a halt at 68 metres. Mr Leadenham is alleged to have told officers at the scene that he was unable to brake in time because cars pulled in front of him. However, analysis of CCTV has indicated that all cars remained in the same lanes in the seconds leading up to the crash.
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