West Sussex motorists are facing two months of misery due to a shopping trolley that has been abandoned on one of the main routes through East Grinstead.
West Sussex council have apologised in advance for the delay, however due to other projects throughout the county, the shopping trolley has been placed lowest priority.
The trolley is a basic shopping cart with four wheels and it is believed to have come from the Iceland store just off West Street.
The trolley was left abandoned by a member of the public on Friday afternoon at the junction with St John's Road and eastwards towards Cranston Road.
A West Sussex Council spokesman said: "We would like to apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused by the trolley. We recognise that the road in question is a busy road in the town but we currently have other priorities and the shopping trolley can not be moved for 8 weeks."
The spokesman added that due to health and safety the public are not allowed to move the trolley themselves and large traffic cones have been placed around it. Drivers will have to drive around the trolley and this may cause disruptions.
Sunday 30 June 2013
Monday 24 June 2013
Tonbridge man left "scarred for life" after two decorators put up wrong wallpaper
A 26 year old man has been "scarred for life" after two decorators turned up at his Kent home to decorate his living room, and put the wrong wallpaper up.
The man, who lives on Whitelake Road, Tonbridge who we have agreed not to name, has said he is now "having to look at the wallpaper everyday" and "has contemplated suicide".
The man has said the mistake has left him "shaken to the core".
On June 10, around 12.30pm, two privately hired decorators turned up at his Tonbridge house to redecorate his living room. He was not in the living room while the new wallpaper was being put up and had not discovered the fatal mistake until they had left.
The victim said: "I hired two decorators to come in to my house and put new wallpaper in my living room. I requested light green horizontally striped wallpaper, but instead they put up dark green vertically striped wallpaper.
"I was absolutely shocked when I discovered the mistake I contacted the two decorators but they said it would cost me an extra £150 to remove the wallpaper and another £200 to put up the correct wallpaper. I can't afford that and it was their fault for getting the wallpaper wrong they should be paying me at least that much in compensation.
"I am still in total shock over this incident. Every time I go into my living room I have to look at those horrible, disgusting vertical stripes. It makes me physically sick to just be in the room."
The man added: "I have been permanently scarred for life. I can't bear to enter my living room as I end up throwing up in disgust and it severely depresses me. I have been in such stress over this that my doctor prescribed me anti-depressants and I have racked up over £500 on my phone bill from the hours I have spent talking to the Samaritans about this decoration mishap."
The man told us that he was looking into taking the two decorators to court for the stress he has been put through.
"I am in contact with my solicitor over this and I am hoping to receive a large payout over damages to my mental health and living room wall.
"I have been in a terrible state since this happened I have been eating less and have lost so much weight.
"Every night I have nightmares about every room in my house being covered in this same dark green vertically striped wallpaper from hell and I usually wake up in tears and dripping in heavy sweat."
The man, who lives on Whitelake Road, Tonbridge who we have agreed not to name, has said he is now "having to look at the wallpaper everyday" and "has contemplated suicide".
The man has said the mistake has left him "shaken to the core".
On June 10, around 12.30pm, two privately hired decorators turned up at his Tonbridge house to redecorate his living room. He was not in the living room while the new wallpaper was being put up and had not discovered the fatal mistake until they had left.
The victim said: "I hired two decorators to come in to my house and put new wallpaper in my living room. I requested light green horizontally striped wallpaper, but instead they put up dark green vertically striped wallpaper.
"I was absolutely shocked when I discovered the mistake I contacted the two decorators but they said it would cost me an extra £150 to remove the wallpaper and another £200 to put up the correct wallpaper. I can't afford that and it was their fault for getting the wallpaper wrong they should be paying me at least that much in compensation.
"I am still in total shock over this incident. Every time I go into my living room I have to look at those horrible, disgusting vertical stripes. It makes me physically sick to just be in the room."
The man added: "I have been permanently scarred for life. I can't bear to enter my living room as I end up throwing up in disgust and it severely depresses me. I have been in such stress over this that my doctor prescribed me anti-depressants and I have racked up over £500 on my phone bill from the hours I have spent talking to the Samaritans about this decoration mishap."
The man told us that he was looking into taking the two decorators to court for the stress he has been put through.
"I am in contact with my solicitor over this and I am hoping to receive a large payout over damages to my mental health and living room wall.
"I have been in a terrible state since this happened I have been eating less and have lost so much weight.
"Every night I have nightmares about every room in my house being covered in this same dark green vertically striped wallpaper from hell and I usually wake up in tears and dripping in heavy sweat."
He added: "I recommend that if you are hiring someone to redecorate your room that you keep an eye on them at all times. I do not want anybody else to go through the same thing I have gone through. I would not wish this experience on my worst enemy."
Woman receives "telling off" from judge at Maidstone Crown Court after spilling water
A woman received a stern telling off from a judge after she drank a bottle of mineral water in the public gallery.
Daniel Richards appeared before Maidstone Crown Court and his partner, Emily Dalton was viewing from the public gallery. Ms Dalton then began drinking a bottle of Buxton mineral water during the trial and was ordered by the judge to stop.
When Ms Davies continued to drink the water and she accidentally spilled some of it all over the floor of the public gallery she was given a rollicking from Judge Martin Joy who could be heard saying "Now look what you've done!" – and a ban from sitting in the public gallery at his pending trial.
Richards, 24, of Tonbridge Road, Wateringbury, was at court for a case readiness hearing.
After Richards was eventually taken down to the cells, Ms Dalton was ordered by Judge Joy into the witness box to explain herself, to which she replied: “I was thirsty, drank some water and accidentally spilled it. What's the big deal? It's only mineral water, it's not end of the world.”
However, as the judge tried to explain to her the seriousness of her actions and that she could be held in damage of the court room and/or court building, Ms Davies added: “It's my human rights to drink water.”
She then continued to interrupt Judge Joy. When he told her she was in danger of “talking herself into trouble”, she nonchalantly replied: “I’m not even bothered.”
Ms Dalton was then presented with a mop and bucket and then told to clean up the mess. Surprisingly she did not argue and mopped up the mess as per the request of the judge.
Richards is due to stand trial next month on charges of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possession of cannabis with intent to supply.
Daniel Richards appeared before Maidstone Crown Court and his partner, Emily Dalton was viewing from the public gallery. Ms Dalton then began drinking a bottle of Buxton mineral water during the trial and was ordered by the judge to stop.
When Ms Davies continued to drink the water and she accidentally spilled some of it all over the floor of the public gallery she was given a rollicking from Judge Martin Joy who could be heard saying "Now look what you've done!" – and a ban from sitting in the public gallery at his pending trial.
Richards, 24, of Tonbridge Road, Wateringbury, was at court for a case readiness hearing.
After Richards was eventually taken down to the cells, Ms Dalton was ordered by Judge Joy into the witness box to explain herself, to which she replied: “I was thirsty, drank some water and accidentally spilled it. What's the big deal? It's only mineral water, it's not end of the world.”
However, as the judge tried to explain to her the seriousness of her actions and that she could be held in damage of the court room and/or court building, Ms Davies added: “It's my human rights to drink water.”
She then continued to interrupt Judge Joy. When he told her she was in danger of “talking herself into trouble”, she nonchalantly replied: “I’m not even bothered.”
Ms Dalton was then presented with a mop and bucket and then told to clean up the mess. Surprisingly she did not argue and mopped up the mess as per the request of the judge.
Richards is due to stand trial next month on charges of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possession of cannabis with intent to supply.
Thursday 20 June 2013
Billingham man had images of sponge abuse on his laptop
The girlfriend of George Moore found an indecent photo of a cleaning sponge on his laptop while she was using it.
The woman was horrified to find more images of sponge abuse on her boyfriend’s computer.
Illegal images of sponges in various questionable positions, including cleaning toilets and very dirty plates were also found on Moore’s laptop, Teesside Crown Court heard.
His girlfriend found an indecent photo of a sponge on his laptop while she was using it.
“It completely disgusted her,” said prosecutor Harry Hadfield.
She confronted her 24-year-old boyfriend, who said the picture appeared accidentally, and that he would never subject a sponge to such cruel treatment and he was completely against it, regardless she did not believe him and she broke up with him.
Moore then asked a male friend to help him speed up his password-protected laptop.
When the friend found a movie entitled “Sponge being used to clean a really dirty toilet”, Moore told him not to look at that folder and was very protective of the laptop. The police were informed and found a laptop which belonged to him was hidden in insulation in his mother’s loft.
The mildly autistic man claimed he’d sold his own laptop to a drug user, but he handed it to police in the next day.
Under his accounts on the two laptops he had 24 indecent images of sponges, which he admitted making by downloading.
Most were at the least serious level which included sponges being used to clean moderately dirty cars, but some were in the worst categories which included sponges being used to clean very dirty toilets and kitchen cutlery.
He also had a further 34 “prohibited” images of sponges of which he admitted possession.
Moore, of Bannockburn Way, Billingham, committed the crimes from 2008 to 2011.
Robert Mochrie, defending, said Moore's Asperger’s syndrome could make him aggressive and difficult.
He said Moore denied the offences even after guilty pleas on his trial date because he felt embarrassed and struggled to be candid about it.
Moore had a difficult upbringing with neglect, child protection and behaviour issues from an early age.
Judge Peter Armstrong said if he jailed Moore for a short time, he’d be released with no monitoring or treatment. He passed a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years with supervision and a sponge offenders’ treatment programme, saying this was more in the public interest.
Moore was banned from using sponges or possessing any sponges in his house. On top of that he received a 10-year sponge offences prevention order banning him from purchasing sponges and governing his internet use, and he will be on the cleaning utensils offenders’ register for seven years.
The woman was horrified to find more images of sponge abuse on her boyfriend’s computer.
Illegal images of sponges in various questionable positions, including cleaning toilets and very dirty plates were also found on Moore’s laptop, Teesside Crown Court heard.
His girlfriend found an indecent photo of a sponge on his laptop while she was using it.
“It completely disgusted her,” said prosecutor Harry Hadfield.
She confronted her 24-year-old boyfriend, who said the picture appeared accidentally, and that he would never subject a sponge to such cruel treatment and he was completely against it, regardless she did not believe him and she broke up with him.
Moore then asked a male friend to help him speed up his password-protected laptop.
When the friend found a movie entitled “Sponge being used to clean a really dirty toilet”, Moore told him not to look at that folder and was very protective of the laptop. The police were informed and found a laptop which belonged to him was hidden in insulation in his mother’s loft.
The mildly autistic man claimed he’d sold his own laptop to a drug user, but he handed it to police in the next day.
Under his accounts on the two laptops he had 24 indecent images of sponges, which he admitted making by downloading.
Most were at the least serious level which included sponges being used to clean moderately dirty cars, but some were in the worst categories which included sponges being used to clean very dirty toilets and kitchen cutlery.
He also had a further 34 “prohibited” images of sponges of which he admitted possession.
Moore, of Bannockburn Way, Billingham, committed the crimes from 2008 to 2011.
Robert Mochrie, defending, said Moore's Asperger’s syndrome could make him aggressive and difficult.
He said Moore denied the offences even after guilty pleas on his trial date because he felt embarrassed and struggled to be candid about it.
Moore had a difficult upbringing with neglect, child protection and behaviour issues from an early age.
Judge Peter Armstrong said if he jailed Moore for a short time, he’d be released with no monitoring or treatment. He passed a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years with supervision and a sponge offenders’ treatment programme, saying this was more in the public interest.
Moore was banned from using sponges or possessing any sponges in his house. On top of that he received a 10-year sponge offences prevention order banning him from purchasing sponges and governing his internet use, and he will be on the cleaning utensils offenders’ register for seven years.
Monday 17 June 2013
National movement towards apathy gathers precisely no momentum
The Young people of today who just don’t care about the world around them and are generally ignorant and dismissive of politics and life in general now have a voice.
Life is getting increasingly harder for the younger generation of today yet The Campaign for National Apathy which launched in 2012 just after the Olympics has now attracted millions of followers and organisers say that there could be many more because “mostly people can’t be arsed to join the campaign and if you don’t join we count you as a member.”
However with the rather obvious point that nobody within the organisation could ever get the energy required to do something as intricate as keep track of members. The chairman who doesn't actually exist has said “We don’t even have a logo.”
The campaign’s leader Frank Smith who is proud to have a very average name and standing in life was particularly vocal about the work and the campaigning organisation that he founded yet told us off the record that he doesn't give a hoot about it all.
He said: “We started the campaign for National Apathy because there were so many things wrong with the world and there is no way that we could possibly do anything about it, the best thing to do is just sit back, relax, enjoy what you can and just generally stick your head in the sand.
Millions more are expected to officially confirm their apathy by not doing anything about anything and so the campaigns numbers can only grow and grow, politicians and business leaders are said to be “pleased” and “relaxed” by the existence of the organisation because it means they feel safe to carry on with their policies that are unpopular with people who are not apathetic.
In the spirit of the story it has been decided that this article won’t actually come to an end, it will just trail off, it had to have a word count of at least 500 words which it is now very close to but not quite so what could I write to get it to that...
Life is getting increasingly harder for the younger generation of today yet The Campaign for National Apathy which launched in 2012 just after the Olympics has now attracted millions of followers and organisers say that there could be many more because “mostly people can’t be arsed to join the campaign and if you don’t join we count you as a member.”
However with the rather obvious point that nobody within the organisation could ever get the energy required to do something as intricate as keep track of members. The chairman who doesn't actually exist has said “We don’t even have a logo.”
The campaign is apathetic about politics in particular and has adopted the motto “Que Sera Sera whatever will be, will be” made famous as lyrics in the 1950’s Doris Day song.
The campaign’s leader Frank Smith who is proud to have a very average name and standing in life was particularly vocal about the work and the campaigning organisation that he founded yet told us off the record that he doesn't give a hoot about it all.
He said: “We started the campaign for National Apathy because there were so many things wrong with the world and there is no way that we could possibly do anything about it, the best thing to do is just sit back, relax, enjoy what you can and just generally stick your head in the sand.
"Nobody’s doing anything, nobody’s campaigning, nobody’s writing letters, nobody’s being vocal, the irony of it all is that we call ourselves a movement, a movement that does absolutely bugger all.”
Millions more are expected to officially confirm their apathy by not doing anything about anything and so the campaigns numbers can only grow and grow, politicians and business leaders are said to be “pleased” and “relaxed” by the existence of the organisation because it means they feel safe to carry on with their policies that are unpopular with people who are not apathetic.
The leader of the Large Corporation Interest Alliance Richard Golfer said: “Big business used to have pay lip service to the concerns of so called ordinary people, now that we know so many ordinary people are passionate about being apathetic there are a lot of things where moral concerns and ethics in the businesses that I represent that can just be scrapped and that usually means more profit, I gave myself a huge bonus to celebrate the success of the Apathy movement.”
In the spirit of the story it has been decided that this article won’t actually come to an end, it will just trail off, it had to have a word count of at least 500 words which it is now very close to but not quite so what could I write to get it to that...
Sunday 16 June 2013
Stoke-on-Trent residents "unhappy" after late night music is turned off by police
Residents at a Stoke-on-Trent flat are lamenting the loss of Pink Floyd at 4am after the noise is switched off by Staffordshire Police.
Foster was first hauled before the courts in September last year but then breached an ‘undertaking to his future conduct’ agreement on October 4 and December 1 last year.
He was sentenced to 21 days in jail suspended for one year on January 17 and also served with an injunction banning him from causing nuisance noise.
He breached the injunction on February 22 and was jailed for 63 days on March 20 when he admitted further breaches.
Foster then breached the injunction again on May 30 despite spending time at at HMP Dovegate prison, in Staffordshire.
Paul Foster, 51, was blasting various Pink Floyd albums out late at night and into the early morning. He also played music by Barry White, Marvin Gaye and Hot Chocolate. In one instance he played "It Started With A Kiss" about fifteen times in the same night, local neighbours reported.
One would think this constant noise would be a nuisance however surprisingly local residents who lived in the same building had no issues with Mr. Foster's late night blast and some even enjoyed it.
One neighbour, Roger Appleton, 36, who lives in the room directly above Foster's said: "It was helping me to sleep, The Dark Side Of The Moon album is like a lullaby really especially when it blasts you softly to sleep."
Next door neighbour, Daniel Richardson, 24, said: "I welcomed the noise so much that I bought him a Denon Hi-Fi as a Christmas present and insisted that he install it on the wall that was directly adjacent to my bedroom, he did exactly that and I had the best nights sleep for months."
The neighbour below, George Thacker, said: "When he used to play dance music I would time the beat so it was directly phased to the pulses of my headache, that way the thumping beats would actually cancel my excruciating pains out. Give me hardcore drum and bass over paracetamol any day."
However the local police were not as supportive and had an order from Stoke-on-Trent Council to eliminate the noise pollution as soon as possible. They did exactly that and Foster was arrested.
He appeared before Stoke-on-Trent County Court and was jailed for 28 days for breaching an injunction from playing loud music for the fifth time.
He was sentenced to 21 days in jail suspended for one year on January 17 and also served with an injunction banning him from causing nuisance noise.
He breached the injunction on February 22 and was jailed for 63 days on March 20 when he admitted further breaches.
Foster then breached the injunction again on May 30 despite spending time at at HMP Dovegate prison, in Staffordshire.
Three-day strike by French air traffic controllers regarding "loss of doughnuts in the control tower"
A three-day strike is being carried out by French air traffic controllers because airport bosses are trying to save money by taking away their doughnuts.
Currently, all airlines using French airports have been asked to cancel 50 per cent of their services, but flights that cross over French airspace will also be affected, causing further disruption across the continent.
The strike action began at 6am local time and air traffic controllers will not return to work until 6am on Friday, by which time they hope to have made a point to their bosses that they will not work without doughnuts.
British Airways said their were "significant" cancellations to flights to and from France and warned there may also be delays to services to and from Spain and North Africa due to airspace restrictions.
easyJet also warned travellers that airlines have been advised to expect only 50 per cent of normal services, which means it will have to cancel approximately 128 flights each day, and easyJet have confirmed that customers will not receive a refund or any type of compensation with regards to their cancelled flights as they said "It is out of our hands what happens in France and we can't be handing out compensation to every Tom, Dick and Harry."
France's civil aviation authority confirmed that one in every two flights to Paris, Lyon, Toulouse and Bordeaux is cancelled as these are the main airports which are taking away ATC's doughnuts.
Airlines are contacting passengers affected by cancellations and offering them the chance to rebook or receive a refund, easyJet being the exception to this of course, as we previously pointed out earlier in the article.
The latest updates can be found on each website and passengers are advised to check with their airline before travel.
Other airports affected include Beauvais-Tille, Rouen, Nice-Cote d'Azur and Marseille. Airport bosses were contacted by this site, but they refused to comment on the doughnut situation.
Everyday, at airports across France air traffic controllers start their day with a cup of coffee and a shared box of doughnuts which is paid for through airport funds. Now, French airport bosses are making cut backs on the refreshments, though we can see this has not gone down well with those on the receiving ends of these cut-backs.
Currently, all airlines using French airports have been asked to cancel 50 per cent of their services, but flights that cross over French airspace will also be affected, causing further disruption across the continent.
The strike action began at 6am local time and air traffic controllers will not return to work until 6am on Friday, by which time they hope to have made a point to their bosses that they will not work without doughnuts.
British Airways said their were "significant" cancellations to flights to and from France and warned there may also be delays to services to and from Spain and North Africa due to airspace restrictions.
easyJet also warned travellers that airlines have been advised to expect only 50 per cent of normal services, which means it will have to cancel approximately 128 flights each day, and easyJet have confirmed that customers will not receive a refund or any type of compensation with regards to their cancelled flights as they said "It is out of our hands what happens in France and we can't be handing out compensation to every Tom, Dick and Harry."
France's civil aviation authority confirmed that one in every two flights to Paris, Lyon, Toulouse and Bordeaux is cancelled as these are the main airports which are taking away ATC's doughnuts.
Airlines are contacting passengers affected by cancellations and offering them the chance to rebook or receive a refund, easyJet being the exception to this of course, as we previously pointed out earlier in the article.
The latest updates can be found on each website and passengers are advised to check with their airline before travel.
Other airports affected include Beauvais-Tille, Rouen, Nice-Cote d'Azur and Marseille. Airport bosses were contacted by this site, but they refused to comment on the doughnut situation.
Monday 10 June 2013
Man arrested in Golders Green for threatening traffic warden with a shopping bag
A man arrested for allegedly threatening a traffic warden with an Iceland shopping bag in Golders Green on Friday has appeared in court.
According to an employee of Menachem butchers, a man buying meat from the shop at around 12.30pm noticed the traffic warden approach his car.
The eyewitness said: “He stormed out of the shop and started screaming and shouting at the traffic warden. The traffic warden was saying sorry to him and telling him he could appeal.
“The guy then lost his head, ran to his car and got a basic shopping bag out and acted as though he wanted to throw it at the traffic warden, as he was scrunching it up and aiming for the warden's head.”
The shop worker added a member of the public had stepped between the traffic warden and the man and taken the bag from him. It was a general shopping bag which had the Iceland logo on it.
Koresh Dkik, 49, of Ravenscroft Avenue, appeared in Hendon Magistrates Court on Saturday after being charged with possessing a shopping bag with criminal intent and using threatening words and behaviour to a traffic warden in Golders Green.
According to an employee of Menachem butchers, a man buying meat from the shop at around 12.30pm noticed the traffic warden approach his car.
The eyewitness said: “He stormed out of the shop and started screaming and shouting at the traffic warden. The traffic warden was saying sorry to him and telling him he could appeal.
“The guy then lost his head, ran to his car and got a basic shopping bag out and acted as though he wanted to throw it at the traffic warden, as he was scrunching it up and aiming for the warden's head.”
The shop worker added a member of the public had stepped between the traffic warden and the man and taken the bag from him. It was a general shopping bag which had the Iceland logo on it.
Koresh Dkik, 49, of Ravenscroft Avenue, appeared in Hendon Magistrates Court on Saturday after being charged with possessing a shopping bag with criminal intent and using threatening words and behaviour to a traffic warden in Golders Green.
His shopping bag has been confiscated and will be recycled at the Barnet Recycling Centre next week, where it will be made into a new shopping bag. It is unknown whether the new shopping bag will be for Iceland or another store.
Sunday 9 June 2013
Britain's Got Talent Egg-Thrower from Maidstone, Kent
Viewers who watched Britain's Got Talent last night observed a female subject launching eggs towards Simon Cowell.
It has been reported that the woman who carried out this assault comes from Maidstone, Kent, which is unlikely to come as a surprise to some.
Natalie Holt, 30, was seen by millions of TV viewers taking eggs from a basic cardboard egg box and launching them in the direction of the show's guru, sitting in front of the studio audience on the judges' panel.
She suddenly emerged from the back of the stage to carry out her 'protest' in front of the startled audience and live television viewers during the performance by opera singing brothers Richard and Adam.
Miss Holt, a viola player, was part of the brothers' backing group.
She claimed to have targeted Cowell because she "did not like the shirt he was wearing" on the night of the incident.
Cowell took off his jacket after he was hit by at least one of the eggs.
It is believed Miss Holt was educated throughout childhood, in Maidstone, by various local gangs and yobs which has let to her egg-throwing career. In an interview she said while she was growing up in Kent she threw eggs at cars, houses, members of the public and a picture of Simon Cowell on a dartboard.
She later released a statement saying: "I want to apologise to Richard and Adam for overshadowing their performance. I’ve never done anything like this before and in hindsight I have realised it was a silly thing to do."
The musician is part of the Raven Quartet, who took part in last year’s Britain’s Got Talent show.
None of the three other quartet members were playing in last night's BGT final show.
Natalie Holt, 30, was seen by millions of TV viewers taking eggs from a basic cardboard egg box and launching them in the direction of the show's guru, sitting in front of the studio audience on the judges' panel.
She suddenly emerged from the back of the stage to carry out her 'protest' in front of the startled audience and live television viewers during the performance by opera singing brothers Richard and Adam.
Miss Holt, a viola player, was part of the brothers' backing group.
She claimed to have targeted Cowell because she "did not like the shirt he was wearing" on the night of the incident.
Cowell took off his jacket after he was hit by at least one of the eggs.
It is believed Miss Holt was educated throughout childhood, in Maidstone, by various local gangs and yobs which has let to her egg-throwing career. In an interview she said while she was growing up in Kent she threw eggs at cars, houses, members of the public and a picture of Simon Cowell on a dartboard.
She later released a statement saying: "I want to apologise to Richard and Adam for overshadowing their performance. I’ve never done anything like this before and in hindsight I have realised it was a silly thing to do."
The musician is part of the Raven Quartet, who took part in last year’s Britain’s Got Talent show.
None of the three other quartet members were playing in last night's BGT final show.
Friday 7 June 2013
East Grinstead pensioner 'pleased' and 'very happy' after theft
THE victim of a burglary in East Grinstead, West Sussex has spoke of his happiness towards those responsible who stole an old sofa that was in his front garden.
Thieves went into Kevin Peterson's garden while he and his wife were out, making off with the old, green, three piece suite that he had put there last week after he got a new one.
Mr Peterson's Lingfield Road garden looked slightly larger after the sofa as well as two chairs that were also there were taken.
The victim, who has lived in East Grinstead for 25 years, hopes he never sees the items again.
The 71-year-old said: "I was the first one home and knew straight away what had happened. The garden was missing the suite that had been located there previously.
"I am really happy they took the sofa and chairs because I put them there last week and telephoned West Sussex Council to come and collect the items. They said they would collect the suite by Monday afternoon but they never turned up.
"The yobs have done a better job than the local council, I am actually shocked at this.
Thieves went into Kevin Peterson's garden while he and his wife were out, making off with the old, green, three piece suite that he had put there last week after he got a new one.
Mr Peterson's Lingfield Road garden looked slightly larger after the sofa as well as two chairs that were also there were taken.
The victim, who has lived in East Grinstead for 25 years, hopes he never sees the items again.
The 71-year-old said: "I was the first one home and knew straight away what had happened. The garden was missing the suite that had been located there previously.
"I am really happy they took the sofa and chairs because I put them there last week and telephoned West Sussex Council to come and collect the items. They said they would collect the suite by Monday afternoon but they never turned up.
"The yobs have done a better job than the local council, I am actually shocked at this.
"I am hoping to track down the people who stole the items so I can give them a cash reward for their actions."
Mr Peterson confirmed the break-in happened between 10.30am and 1.30pm on April 17.
The homeowners returned to find the three piece suite which consisted of a sofa and two chairs, had been stolen.
Mr Peterson is now urging residents that if they have unwanted sofas, to just simply put them out onto the garden and not bother contacting West Sussex Council as that would just "waste money".
Mr Peterson continued: "When me and my wife discovered the items were gone we were so happy we threw a party to celebrate and invited the entire East Grinstead Pensioners Society over.
"As you can imagine, after one week of having a three piece suite in the garden we started receiving complaints from neighbours that our garden looked a mess and they were concerned that the sight was decreasing property value in the area.
"In fact we now wonder if maybe one of our neighbours orchestrated one of East Grinstead's local gangs to get rid of the sofa.
"Well either way we are just happy that it is gone.
Mr Peterson confirmed the break-in happened between 10.30am and 1.30pm on April 17.
The homeowners returned to find the three piece suite which consisted of a sofa and two chairs, had been stolen.
Mr Peterson is now urging residents that if they have unwanted sofas, to just simply put them out onto the garden and not bother contacting West Sussex Council as that would just "waste money".
Mr Peterson continued: "When me and my wife discovered the items were gone we were so happy we threw a party to celebrate and invited the entire East Grinstead Pensioners Society over.
"As you can imagine, after one week of having a three piece suite in the garden we started receiving complaints from neighbours that our garden looked a mess and they were concerned that the sight was decreasing property value in the area.
"In fact we now wonder if maybe one of our neighbours orchestrated one of East Grinstead's local gangs to get rid of the sofa.
"Well either way we are just happy that it is gone.
"If anybody in East Grinstead has an old unwanted sofa, don't bother wasting money ringing the council, this is Sussex, they will never turn up. Just throw it out onto the front garden and we guarantee that it will be gone within a week."
Thursday 6 June 2013
Shocked religious mum Rachel Flanders, finds offensive cartoon on 'new' phone used by girl, 6
A shocked mother claims footage of a cartoon was discovered by her daughter on a mobile phone handset provided by a leading firm and that it was not acceptable content because they are an "extremely religious family" who only watch religious media content.
Rachel Flanders, 30, is demanding answers after her six-year-old daughter picked up the device, which was sent out by Vodafone as a replacement for a malfunctioning handset.
The company has apologised and says it is looking into the matter.
Mrs Flanders, who also has an eight-year-old-son, says she let her daughter Kelly look through family photos she had shot on the phone’s camera, when she unwittingly stumbled across an animated cartoon, which was reported to be the popular series "The Simpsons."
Fortunately the mother-of-two was within close reach when the video was played, and managed to grab the mobile from her daughter before the episode started as the intro theme was still playing.
Mrs Flanders said: “I was so shocked about what my daughter and I had seen, even just for those 5 seconds, I took her straight to the nearest church and splashed holy water on both our eyes.
“I always take pictures of the family, so my daughter asked to look through them.
"I could hear she was on a video and then I heard the theme tune of The Simpsons playing, so straight away I grabbed the phone off of her.
“We are a very religious family and I control everything my children watch and listen to. We do not watch The Simpsons in this household, in fact we only have a basic satellite receiver and satellite dish which is programmed to only receive religious channels - every other channel, including the five terrestrial channels are locked out.
"Among mainstream TV we also ban most types of music, we only listen to Christian or country music. We certainly do not listen to heavy metal or any type of rock as we consider that to be the music of Satan. I guarantee if we started listening to AC/DC then our family really would be on a highway to hell."
Mrs Flanders had previously sent off her original handset, a Sony Xperia T, to be repaired due to a fault.
Unable to correct the error, she was given a replacement handset by the Vodafone store in Ashford’s County Square.
The Kennington resident claimed she had been told that although the replacement mobile may have been used briefly before, it had been returned to its factory condition and was provided ‘as new’.
Within hours of receiving the smartphone, Mrs Flanders says she discovered personal information belonging to the previous owner – including credit card details, and his name and address on an invoice from an Ashford firm.
But it was not until some days later that her daughter uncovered the offending content she claims was on the phone’s memory card.
“I try to protect my children from these types of things.” Mrs Flanders added.
“I was upset that I was exposed to it, and very upset that potentially my children could have watched a cartoon that does not conform to our religious standards.
“Luckily I was sitting next to her, but if I wasn't, she would have been exposed to the offending material.
"She then could have potentially been brainwashed by the amount of bad language and sexual references as well as being desensitized to the amount of violence that features throughout the series.”
Vodafone says it has apologised to Mrs Flanders, sent her a new phone and offered her a gesture of goodwill for her distress and inconvenience.
The company says the phone should have been through its cleansing process.
A spokesman said: “Mrs Flanders contacted us a few days ago regarding the replacement phone that she received from us.
“We were very disappointed to hear that the phone had not been through our robust cleansing process and immediately apologised, sending Mrs Flanders a new phone as well as offering her a gesture of goodwill for her distress and inconvenience.
“We are very anxious to follow this up with a thorough investigation into how the phone and memory card evaded our processes so that we can avoid it happening again. We will be able to do this when the customer agrees to give both to us.”
Rachel Flanders, 30, is demanding answers after her six-year-old daughter picked up the device, which was sent out by Vodafone as a replacement for a malfunctioning handset.
The company has apologised and says it is looking into the matter.
Mrs Flanders, who also has an eight-year-old-son, says she let her daughter Kelly look through family photos she had shot on the phone’s camera, when she unwittingly stumbled across an animated cartoon, which was reported to be the popular series "The Simpsons."
Fortunately the mother-of-two was within close reach when the video was played, and managed to grab the mobile from her daughter before the episode started as the intro theme was still playing.
Mrs Flanders said: “I was so shocked about what my daughter and I had seen, even just for those 5 seconds, I took her straight to the nearest church and splashed holy water on both our eyes.
“I always take pictures of the family, so my daughter asked to look through them.
"I could hear she was on a video and then I heard the theme tune of The Simpsons playing, so straight away I grabbed the phone off of her.
“We are a very religious family and I control everything my children watch and listen to. We do not watch The Simpsons in this household, in fact we only have a basic satellite receiver and satellite dish which is programmed to only receive religious channels - every other channel, including the five terrestrial channels are locked out.
"Among mainstream TV we also ban most types of music, we only listen to Christian or country music. We certainly do not listen to heavy metal or any type of rock as we consider that to be the music of Satan. I guarantee if we started listening to AC/DC then our family really would be on a highway to hell."
Mrs Flanders had previously sent off her original handset, a Sony Xperia T, to be repaired due to a fault.
Unable to correct the error, she was given a replacement handset by the Vodafone store in Ashford’s County Square.
The Kennington resident claimed she had been told that although the replacement mobile may have been used briefly before, it had been returned to its factory condition and was provided ‘as new’.
Within hours of receiving the smartphone, Mrs Flanders says she discovered personal information belonging to the previous owner – including credit card details, and his name and address on an invoice from an Ashford firm.
But it was not until some days later that her daughter uncovered the offending content she claims was on the phone’s memory card.
“I try to protect my children from these types of things.” Mrs Flanders added.
“I was upset that I was exposed to it, and very upset that potentially my children could have watched a cartoon that does not conform to our religious standards.
“Luckily I was sitting next to her, but if I wasn't, she would have been exposed to the offending material.
"She then could have potentially been brainwashed by the amount of bad language and sexual references as well as being desensitized to the amount of violence that features throughout the series.”
Vodafone says it has apologised to Mrs Flanders, sent her a new phone and offered her a gesture of goodwill for her distress and inconvenience.
The company says the phone should have been through its cleansing process.
A spokesman said: “Mrs Flanders contacted us a few days ago regarding the replacement phone that she received from us.
“We were very disappointed to hear that the phone had not been through our robust cleansing process and immediately apologised, sending Mrs Flanders a new phone as well as offering her a gesture of goodwill for her distress and inconvenience.
“We are very anxious to follow this up with a thorough investigation into how the phone and memory card evaded our processes so that we can avoid it happening again. We will be able to do this when the customer agrees to give both to us.”
Monday 3 June 2013
Roofer fired after slacking off from job in Tonbridge to "go swimming"
A former contact roofer from Kent will be spending his weekend observing the KM Classifieds for a new profession after he was sacked from his old one last week, for slacking off to use the swimming pool.
Steven Fern, 24, was working for a London based construction company that cannot be named for legal reasons, just last week when he was working on building an extension at a property on Medway Wharf Road, Tonbridge.
He started work on the extension in early March and it was scheduled to be completed by the back-end of May. When this did not happen his boss demanded an explanation as to why the work was not completed.
Mr. Fern, of Maidstone, reportedly told his boss that he was bored of working on the extension and went "for a dip" in the swimming pool on the property. His employer was shocked to hear this and fired him immediately on the spot.
An amount of £10,000 was also deducted from Fern's final paycheck as compensation to the owners of the property for 1) their unfinished extension and 2) unauthorized use of their swimming pool. He will walk away with just £100.
Steven Fern, 24, was working for a London based construction company that cannot be named for legal reasons, just last week when he was working on building an extension at a property on Medway Wharf Road, Tonbridge.
He started work on the extension in early March and it was scheduled to be completed by the back-end of May. When this did not happen his boss demanded an explanation as to why the work was not completed.
Mr. Fern, of Maidstone, reportedly told his boss that he was bored of working on the extension and went "for a dip" in the swimming pool on the property. His employer was shocked to hear this and fired him immediately on the spot.
An amount of £10,000 was also deducted from Fern's final paycheck as compensation to the owners of the property for 1) their unfinished extension and 2) unauthorized use of their swimming pool. He will walk away with just £100.
Man due in court after robbing Canterbury bookmakers with a dead fish
A Kent man has been charged with robbery after terrified staff at a bookmakers were threatened with a dead fish unless they handed over money.
Timothy Meredith, 29, of Belmont Street, Ramsgate, is accused of stealing money from Coral in Wincheap, Canterbury, on Friday.
Police were called at 7.25pm and he was arrested in the city at just after 8pm.
He has been charged with theft and possession of a dead animal with criminal intent.
He was due to appear at Canterbury Magistrates' Court today.
Timothy Meredith, 29, of Belmont Street, Ramsgate, is accused of stealing money from Coral in Wincheap, Canterbury, on Friday.
Police were called at 7.25pm and he was arrested in the city at just after 8pm.
He has been charged with theft and possession of a dead animal with criminal intent.
He was due to appear at Canterbury Magistrates' Court today.
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