Who Is Running Banks?

After the Daily Mail contacted Barclays the bank telephoned Mr Sparks, apologised for closing the account and offered to reopen it, according to the businessman.

He said: ‘An exec told me the decision to close the account was automated but they couldn’t tell me why that was. I declined the offer to reopen the account.’

Why couldn't you tell him? Because 'Computer says no'..? Who programmed it? 

Mr Sparks and his sister have now been forced to set up an online business account with Monzo.

When I had a similar issue trying to navigate Barclays' bizarre complaints system to get my mother's account closed down and the balance transferred to her online First Direct account (who were superb, and I'd recommend them to anyone) to pay for her care home costs, I ran into similar issues. 

It seems banks are no longer running things. The government and/or 'the systems' are...

A spokesperson for Barclays said: 'As part of our ongoing responsibility to help prevent financial crime, and to meet our regulatory obligations, we are required to keep up to date information regarding our customers’ accounts.

'In this case, after 18 months of repeated attempts to contact the customer, including through online banking, email and post, we did not receive all of the necessary information relating to their Barclays Business account, leaving us no alternative but to close the account.

'We fully understand the issues this can cause customers and we worked hard to avoid the last resort of account closure. As a gesture of goodwill we have offered to re-open their account to allow more time for the information to be shared, which has been declined.'

Can you blame him?  

"...they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR DOORMATS!"

South Essex Homes has been removing the items from homes at a block of flats in Shannon Close, Leigh.

One resident said he refused to let the association workers remove his plant table and doormat out of protest.

David Carr said: “What the association is doing is absurd and so unjust.

“I am prepared to be arrested and even go to prison to stop them from taking my doormat and plant table.

“I have lived here 38 years and so many people compliment me on my plant table and how it makes the landing area so nice and homely.

“I feel this is unwarranted harassment of people who are trying to keep their homes nice.”

So there! Health and safety be damned!

The 75-year-old added: “Of course I do not want our flats to be dangerous in any way but this is just over the top. “When the South Essex Homes worker came to take my items I told them I would be prepared to stop them and they knew I meant it.”

I bet they were terrified!

A spokesman for South Essex Homes said: “We understand this may appear stern, however the safety of residents is always paramount.”

Hmmm, sure, I'm convinced.

Regulation, Keeping Us All Safe!

In a report to Mrs Yeribu, a panel spokesman said: "There was a clear risk of death to the patient arising from your actions.

"Your actions in using scissors on a Tesio line were serious and it was clear that by using scissors there was the potential to cut the line.

"Your actions brought the nursing profession into serious disrepute. They would be deplored by nursing and other professionals and be found shocking to the general public.

"You were in breach of the fundamental tenets of the nursing profession in failing to provide a high standard of care to your patient.”

A Basildon Hospital spokesman said Mrs Yeribu, an agency nurse, has not worked at the trust since the incident, in June 2014.

Note the weasel words ‘at the trust’.

Because as the comments show, she’s working somewhere:

Owlz Hmmmm but Patricia Yeribu-tsikata (full name) has set up her own nursing business and is still practicing as a nurse as her Facebook page (in uniform) and companies house show.... http://www.companies list.co.uk/08164925-bar-care-limited

*sighs*

And Yet, You Bleat About ‘Staffing Cuts’ And ‘The Thin Blue Line’..?

A road was closed yesterday as police were in a stand-off with a householder…

Who had a bomb? A gun? A pack of killer dogs? Sharks with frickin' laser beams on their head?

… who threw a television out of his window.

Oh. Right.

Well, yes, if one landed on your foot, it could be painful, certainly.

How many did he have to throw? Certainly, it seems, enough to keep a heck of a lot of police at bay.

Cordons were put in place at Birch Hall Avenue, Darwen, at the junction with Wyre Crescent after police were called to a domestic incident. A man was throwing items through the window, as his partner fled the address.

Police negotiators and officers wearing riot gear and shields were at the scene as the 28-year-old man was asked to come down from his first-floor flat.

Police were called at 2.30pm yesterday and several police vehicles and an ambulance were at the scene until after 5pm.

Good grief! The police are unrepentant, and in full ‘better safe than sorry!’ mode:

Chief Inspector Damian Kitchen said: “At around 2.30pm police were called to reports of a domestic incident at an address in Birch Hall Avenue in Darwen. Officers attended and were confronted with a man throwing items from the window of the first-floor flat and a cordon was put in place.

“Due to concerns for his welfare, police negotiators were sent to the scene in an attempt to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.

“Shortly after 5pm, specially trained officers entered the property and the man was detained without further incident. A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and affray.

“We realise that this incident will have caused some disruption in the area and I would like to thank people for their patience.”

Ah, an irritating habit picked up from London Underground. You can really only thank people for ‘their patience’ when they have a choice.

But they don’t. You close the road, and they have to put up with it, regardless.

You Vil OBEY ZE RULES!

Householders have been warned they have one more chance to start recycling, then they’ll risk a fine.

This is, of course, the food waste recycling scheme.

At present, Colchester’s recycling rate is below the Essex average and Martin Hunt, the councillor responsible for waste collection, hopes the move lead to at least half of waste being recycled.

He said further progress depended on a change of heart by the many residents who currently recycled very little or nothing.

And if they don’t plan on a change of heart, they’ll have it changed for them, by force:

The council is considering tough action to force such people to change.

After warning letters and visits by officials, those who stubbornly refused to join in could be fined as a last resort, he said.

I love the ‘stubborn refusal’ bit, as if it’s suddenly the done thing, the chic thing, to have rotting food waste outside your front door for a week! Who could possibly object to that?

Mr Hunt added: “We can’t go a lot further with people who refuse to do it without showing more of the stick than the carrot. We might seriously have to think about using the stick. ”

I must have missed something, because I didn’t actually see any carrot.

Where is it, Marty? Is it underneath the piles of rotting cabbage and baked beans in the food waste bin?

“We haven’t done it yet, but we have the right to issue orders to people if we find stuff in their black bags which shouldn’t be there, forcing them to recycle.

“I have never done that and I don’t want to do that, because I prefer to do it the other way.”

And what ‘other way’ would that be, then?

Repeatedly telling people that it’s for their own good, when they – not unreasonably – think they pay enough in council tax to bloated Town Hall bureaucrats already, and the least you could do in return is take away the rubbish quickly and efficiently?

But he warned: “This will be the last time we ask people nicely to recycle.”

And I can see how much of an effect you’re having in the comments…

Mr Hunt said: “Now we have the zones in place we will try to nudge more than a few people who don’t recycle at all to start doing some recycling. We will be going round, looking at doorsteps and finding out who is recycling and who is not. There are a lot of people who don’t recycle at all and I’m hoping to encourage them to start.”

If you’ve got the time and the manpower to doorstep people, you’re obviously overpaid and underworked.

Mr Hunt said 35 residents in the food waste trial areas – Mile End, Tiptree, Stanway, Greenstead, Fingringhoe and Abberton had refused to take part in the scheme.

Hurrah! Mind you, I think they’ve all commented so far…

In contrast, some Stanway residents had shown their enthusiasm by putting out their food waste caddies a week early.

Ah, there are always some, aren’t there?

Martin, I think you might find your name and reputation stinks as badly as those food waste containers by the time this is over…

Vital Safeguarding Of Post Office Shoppers

Thank god shoppers are protected from the menace of a post office selling eggs, jam and honey. Who knows what might have happened otherwise?

The ban comes after the Essex County Council spent £10,000 converting the library on The Green into a double-purpose self-service library and village post office.

"I'm very angry about it," the postmistress said. "I've been selling eggs, jams and honey for a long time.

"They don't make me much money but they're part of the reason people come into the shop.

"There won't be many more reasons for anyone to come in here anymore."

Now, I can remember holidays in Yorkshire where every little village had a post office-cum-everything else. You could get anything there – not just stamps and postcards home, but comics, sweets, toys, home-grown produce, etc.

And you may say that things change, and with huge supermarket conglomerates on the doorstep, why should that remain the same?

Well, equally well, why should it not?

According to Ms Rollason, the council told her solicitor that they did not think it was "appropriate" for the post office to continue to sell the products after it moved in to the library.

Is this one of the new-type libraries? Sorry, multi-media centre?

Still, maybe if she speaks to her local representa…

Oh:

Essex County Councillor John Aldridge, who helped Ms Rollason secure the move to the library, said he sympathised but stressed if the terms of the lease said no food then there was not much that could be done.

He said: "We're really happy to have the post office there, but if it was not part of the deal, it was not part of the deal. A few eggs are not worth falling out over."

Falling out with whom?

Are you afraid to do the job you’re elected to, Mr Aldridge? That of representing the wishes of your constituents?

The Three ‘S’s Come In Here, Surely..?

As the American Midwest ranchers say ‘Shoot, shovel and shut up’.

Sadly, Neil Froggat hasn’t heard about the ‘shut up’ bit:

A father who removed a pigeon nest from his balcony over concerns for his childrens’ health fears he could now face prosecution.

Oh, why?

Neil Froggatt approached Kingston Council, who own the New Malden flat, for their help after living next to inches deep of bird droppings and flocks of pigeons for months.

But the council, who axed their pest control service from April 1 this year, could only offer information and no practical help to Mr Froggatt and his family, who have lived in the flat for nine years.

On the council’s advice Mr Froggatt spent £100 on deterrents and regularly cleaned the first-floor balcony but after little improvement took matters into his own hands and removed the nest.

Well, since he’d exhausted all options, surely there’s nothing else anyone could expect him to do?

The nest and pigeons have since returned and Mr Froggatt has found out that under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 removing the nest is illegal.

So, just don’t go blabbing to anyone about what you’ve done, and you’ll be fi…

Oh. Right…

Emma Haskell, director of the Pigeon Control Advisory Service, said Mr Froggatt and professional pest control companies should deal with the problem.

She said: “I don’t think councils should have to deal with it, it’s a complete and utter waste of time, councils have spent millions and millions in the past and now with cuts they realise it’s not worth it.

“You need to target the source of the pigeons…”

The 'source of the pigeons'..? Surely, that’s other pigeons?

And isn't that just what Mr Froggatt has done?

Heartless And Soulless….

When Anthony Cotter’s last dog Scrappy died in 2008, he got permission from Oxford City Council to have a dog from Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary, provided it did not annoy or intimidate neighbours.

But now the council has said Charlie, a doberman-German Shepherd cross, is too large for Mr Cotter’s first-floor flat. It wants him to swap the dog for a smaller breed.

It….what?!?

It wants him to swap his pet? Like it was a too-large TV, or faulty microwave oven?

Oxford City Council spokesman Louisa Dean said: “We gave this tenant permission to have a dog which was suitable for the property.

“This would have been a small or medium-sized dog.”

Oh, really? Because the only conditions he claims you placed on his choice were behavioural ones, not size-related ones…

Still, I’m sure you’ve got a record of your instructions to him to prove him wrong.

Haven’t you?

“However, the tenant decided to get a large dog which has caused problems for his neighbours.

“He was asked to exchange the dog for a smaller, more manageable breed, but refused.”

Dear god, just imagine the utter carbon-dense piece of shrivelled coal that must occupy the space in Louisa Dean’s chest cavity, where any normal person’s heart would be, that she could even consider suggesting such a thing…

This is why local councils are held in such contempt by most of the population. They either attract creatures like Dean, or they convert normal people into creatures like Dean after a period of time.

One Of Life’s Universal Truths…

…if no-one misses you when you aren’t there, your job is not important:

Parking wardens refused to go to work this weekend because the panic buttons on their radios stopped working.

And why was that so important?

They said problems with their radio sets put their health and safety at risk because they could not raise the alarm if they were assaulted.

I suppose they could always try doing their job in a manner that doesn’t make people want to assault them? No?

The implications of this haven’t escaped notice, either. From the comments:

Rostrum, Hove says...

So.. No traffic wardens on Saturday and most of Sunday and no Parking Tickets handed out..

Were there any problems with the Traffic-flow? No

Were there any incidents of emergency vehicles not able to get to where they were needed? No

So the two main reasons for the whole scheme were unaffected.

This that the parking policies of our great city are all about raking in cash and NOT about traffic-flow, access and safety which is what the relevant laws are all about.

Quite!

Our Campaigners And Lobbyists Good…

…your campaigners and lobbyists bad. Got that?

Phillip Inman (economics correspondent for the Guardian and Observer) is getting in a right old tizzy:

Lobbyists behind the rightwing Tea Party group in the US will arrive in London today to spread their message of low taxes and small government at an event organised by the UK's controversial Taxpayers' Alliance.

Oh, quelle horreur! ‘Low taxes and small government’..! Whoever heard of such a cockamamie notion?

And when did the TPA become ‘controversial’..?

Critics of the event said it established a clear link between British rightwing groups and aggressive American lobbyists who pursued low taxes, loose regulation and widespread privatisation of public services.

How many times is this man going to write the word ‘right wing’ as if it were some sort of talisman to ward off evil?

The Taxpayers' Alliance aggressively promotes an anti-tax, anti-state, anti-Europe agenda and many of its leading figures have close links with the Tory party and the rightwing press.

Let me try that out for size:

‘The TUC aggressively promotes a collective-bargaining agenda, and many of its leading figures have close links with the Labour party and the left-wing press.’

‘The ECHR aggressively promotes a human rights agenda and many of its leading figures have close links with campaigners and the left-wing press.’

Hmm…

Today's conference will be attended by Americans who have lobbied in the US to overturn Barack Obama's healthcare plan and maintain tax breaks for the rich. Several of the groups have close links to the billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, prominent tormentors of the Obama administration.

But as Tim Worstall points out, this isn’t considered a bad thing when George Soros is doing it…

The Cato Institute, which promotes its views on Fox News and other rightwing media, is one of the Tea Party's main backers.

Oh, noes! It’s that ‘right wing’ word again!

Prominent Tory supporters are also backing the conference. Stanley Kalms, the former chairman of Dixons, is a key sponsor of the event along with investment banker Howard Flight. Flight was a Tory MP and frontbench Treasury spokesman before David Cameron became leader, while Kalms was Tory treasurer and one of its main backers.

Clearly, you can see Phil regards them as almost as bad as the right-wing low-tax small-government right-wingers…

So, just who does he think can save him from the march of the right-wi…

Ah:

Campaigner Richard Murphy, who wrote a report for the TUC showing how companies and wealthy individuals avoid billions of pounds of tax, said: "It's clear the Taxpayers' Alliance receives a huge amount of support from the US, where there is serious money behind the lobbying for low taxes.

The conference is billed as a debate among European thinktanks, but it is a barely disguised front for the most aggressive lobby tactics championed on the other side of the Atlantic."

Good old Murph, still blurring the lines between tax evasion (illegal) and tax avoidance (legal) for his audience of economic illiterates…

Murphy said: "The Taxpayers' Alliance has done a fantastic job of presenting itself as a representative of the poor downtrodden taxpayer.

"It regularly grabs slots on the BBC and other media to argue that taxpayers are hard done by. But the freedoms it wants is freedom from taxes for a tiny minority of wealthy people."

I’m surprised there are any slots on the BBC left for the TPA; it seems as though Murphy himself is never off them!

The Unspeakable In Pursuit Of The…Really Quite Delicious, Actually

A pie shop owner may have to stop selling hare and pigeon pie in summer because of a 108-year-old law – which was devised before invention of refrigeration.

PJ's Pie Pub serves a variety of meat-based pies – but one particular recipe has led to an investigation involving Trading Standards, the Department for Environment, and local officials.

And reading on, you clearly see that the problem is not the law (for once).

It’s the interfering busybodies that iDave fondly assumes will only do ‘good works’ as part of his Big Society…

The furore began when the pub's hare and pigeon pie caught the attention of the Hare Preservation Trust, which has asked for enforcement action be taken.

And why?

Well, because in an attempt to preserve the hare, this law was passed:

The legislation in question, outlined in the Hare Preservation Act of 1892, stipulates: "It shall not be lawful during the months of March to July to sell or expose for sale, in any part of Great Britain, any hare or leveret."

The law was passed before commercial freezing was invented and designed to ensure that people caught with hares during those months could be prosecuted for having shot them in the breeding season.

A sensible law. One that, like many bylaws (no, not that ‘taxicabs must carry a bale of hay for their horse’ one!) has never been repealed because, well, it’s clearly not intended to meet 21st century life:

Owner Mike Pichel-Juan said: "A modern interpretation of the Act would have to take into account the fact they didn't have freezer technology in 1892 to preserve meat which was legitimately purchased from a game dealer. We only use hares which have been killed within the correct game season and then frozen.

"Nothing we do is contravening the spirit of the Act – which is about the safeguarding of brown hares during their breeding season."

Indeed.

Sadly, that reckoned without the sheer vindictiveness and maliciousness of the single-issue fanatic…

John Rimington, spokesman for the Hare Preservation Trust, said: "We are disgusted by the activity of this outlet. There were six times as many brown hares in Britain when the Act was passed as there are today.

"Not surprisingly, the brown hare is listed in the current UK Biodiversity Action Plan for declined species at risk of possible extinction."

They weren’t shot out of season, you immeasurable cretin, they are frozen!

And the hares aren’t declining because we are all suddenly eating them in pies!

A fact which – unless you are truly a grade A moron – you must know, and know well. So that makes you a cretin who will do anything for publicity for your cause.

Which though it might be a good one, is now tarnished by its involvement in another example of ‘Britain’s Stupidest Laws’…

A spokesperson for Boston Borough Council confirmed they are currently investigating the matter with Trading Standards, although an outcome is not expected for a few weeks.

Sounds to me as though they are now keeping their heads down, and hoping none of the opprobrium coming the trust’s way spreads to them.

Pity they didn’t take the opportunity to tell publicity-chasing John Rimington to do one at the time…

Mr Pichel-Juan concluded: "If the authorities tell me I'm breaking the law, I will take hare pie off the menu until after July. If I don't, according to the original 1892 Act, I could be fined 20 shillings."

Personally, I’d laugh, pay the 20 shillings in pennies and then walk out of the court eating a hare pie, one of a size that would make Desperate Dan salivate…

So what will the Hare Preservation Trust have achieved if he’s found guilty? Will the frozen hares be magically restored to life? No, of course not.

All they’ve succeeded in doing is making themselves look like small-minded, petty morons.

I bet they are collecting a nice set of comments on their blog too…

It Seems We’ll Have To Revise That Old Ronald Reagan Quote…

..it should now be ‘The nine most frightening words in the English language: I’m from the government a charity and I’m here to help’:

Patricia Faulkner and Dave Armitage built a run in their Colchester back garden for the squirrel they have named Squeaky.

Although he cannot climb trees, he is able to run about.

Squeaky has been with them for about seven years, but they are moving from Hazelton Road to a smaller home in Norfolk and had to call in the RSPCA as they will not have room for him.

And that’s when they first hit a snag…

The animal charity told the pair they had broken the law by keeping a wild animal without a licence and said Squeaky would have to be put down.

Bet they weren’t expecting that, if their only experience of the RSPCA was those heartwarming ads and ‘Rolf’s Animal Hospital’…

If they defy officials, they could face prosecution.

Well, naturally! The RSPCA aren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, are they?

This couple came to them for help, but who cares about that, when there’s a target to reach…

Ms Faulkner, 50, who works as a medic on film sets, said: “I can’t believe they would want to get rid of him.

“It’s like they are the Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals, except squirrels.”

I wouldn’t assume, going on their past history, that they are necessarily any better with other creatures.

RSPCA spokeswoman Katy Geary confirmed the couple had unwittingly broken the law by keeping a grey squirrel, as a licence was required under restrictions laid down by Natural England.

She said it would also be illegal to release Squeaky, in the knowledge that he was not fit to survive in the wild.

That means the RSPCA’s only option, other than to put him down, is to find a sanctuary which does have a licence to keep squirrels.

And god forbid they try to do that. It might eat into their bereaved-relative-hassling time and money…

The restrictions are tougher than for many other species as moving grey squirrels into certain areas of the country could put native red squirrels under threat.

Ms Geary said: “It is a bit of a legal minefield.

“It is one of these cases where people are doing what they think is best to care for an animal, but technically they are breaking the law.”

Well, after all, we wouldn’t want to encourage people to start thinking they could care for animals themselves, would we? No, that sort of thing’s best left to the profressionals.

Pompous Self-Publicist Attacks Website For Pompous Self-Publicists

Yes, it’s everyone’s favourite Peadofinder General, Jim Gamble, who is taking time out from his busy schedule avoiding awkward questions about the total farce that Op Ore turned out to be to launch an attack on Facebook:

Jim Gamble, who heads the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop), said he had "real concerns" about the social networking site's work to protect children.

People have ‘real concerns’ about your own organisation, Jim lad.

He challenged the company to reveal evidence that its staff are working to disrupt devious criminals and bullies who lurk online.

‘When did you stop beating your wives?’

Mr Gamble said investigators received 252 complaints about sexual grooming, bullying and hacking from Facebook users in the first three months of this year, but none of these had been provided by the company itself. His comments are the latest salvo in an increasingly bitter feud over Facebook's refusal to add a "panic" button to its site's most popular pages. Ceop wants the button, which enables users to report abuse, to be given prominent use.

Clearly, people are managing to report complaints without the need for a button, so why the fuss?

Mr Gamble was speaking ahead of his crunch meeting with Facebook bosses in Washington DC on Monday, where he will call for them to break the deadlock.

I think the ‘Indy’ hack accidentally typed ‘break the deadlock’ there where he meant to type ‘capitulate to CEOP’s demands’…

"Facebook say their system is robust and we have no reason not to believe them," he said yesterday.

Well, that’s nice of you, Jim lad.

Do I hear a ‘But..’?

"Our reports are increasing monthly. In the first quarter of this year we have had 252 complaints about Facebook. None came direct from Facebook. If their system is so robust and they are receiving so many reports and concerns from young people, then where are they?"

Well – and try to contain yourself when you hear this, I’m positive it’ll come as a big shock – maybe they aren’t reporting them to you but to real enforcement agencies?

I know! Terrible, isn’t it?

He said the company was good at removing pornography and obscene content, as it is required to do so by law in the US.

"I believe Facebook confuse their approach to content with their approach to behaviour and that is the root of the problem," he said. "That is where predators go online, engage the young and vulnerable, and lure them offline where they can abuse them. In many cases young people in the online environment are bullied to the point of suicide."

How many? Facts and figures, Jim lad.

And after Op Ore, we’ll want to look very, very closely at anything you produce….

More Regulation! Full Speed Ahead!

The Government needs to sort out mobility scooter rules, a report by MPs said today.

It was important that the Government collected better data on the use of these scooters, the report from the House of Commons Transport Committee said.

Because governments just love data.

Oh, they rarely use it, and if it conflicts with what they want to do anyway, they’ll toss it out in a heartbeat, but they love it and horde it like dragons horde gold…

The MPs noted the DfT launched a consultation exercise on the issue of mobility scooters but was concerned that, after a similar review in 2005, ministers failed to act on many of its findings.

This time it was important that the Government acted on the consultation conclusions, said the committee's chairman Louise Ellman (Lab, Liverpool Riverside).

She added: "Increasingly, mobility scooters are a vital aid for many people in the UK. We welcome the independence that these vehicles can give people to go about their daily lives."

You can see the ‘But…’ coming, can’t you?

"However, we are concerned about the many reported accidents and injuries involving the scooters.

"The Government does not have adequate data on either how many mobility scooters are currently in use or on the number and type of accidents in which they might be involved."

And naturally, the H&S people are on this in a flash:

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "We welcome the call for data to be collected on incidents involving mobility scooters, because current evidence relating to accidents and injuries is sparse.

"The lack of such data means it is difficult to justify introducing new regulations that may be disproportionate to the level of risk associated with mobility scooters."

Well, how about you don’t introduce them then? You seem convinced there is a problem without anything other than anecdotal data and your gut feeling.

Do you think you are a climate scientist, or something?

Andrew Howard, the AA's head of road safety, said: "One of the reasons for the success of British road safety has been that we monitor accidents well and act to stop those that we know are happening, rather than those that we think may be happening.

"That is what we need to do here, to make sure that we don't deny people independence and mobility until we know what the real danger is and how we can remedy it."

He went on: "However, we must remember that these vehicles cannot provide as much protection as a car, and are used by the old and the infirm.

"Unfortunately, these people are more frail and therefore more likely to be killed or injured in accidents compared to younger, fitter people. That must not be forgotten when more information about accidents becomes available."

Well, indeed.

But it will be, if this post by Going Fast, Getting Nowhere is anything to go on:

In Edinburgh last weekend, an off-duty soldier fell from one, hit his head on the pavement, and sadly died. Now, it was the weekend, at 2.20 am, and the man was celebrating his birthday. I think it is safe to conclude that he would have been in a cheerful frame of mind. It would appear that he lost his footing when jumping off the pedicab to speak to a group of girls. One of those things, eh? No.

SOMETHING MUST BE DONE.

There are, apparently 'fresh safety fears' after the incident. Council leaders have 'pledged' to examine the regulations, and Councillor Colin Keir said the rules surrounding rickshaws needed to be made more robust.

*sigh*