Further to my story yesterday, a Google StreetView car has been arrested!

The Google Street View car after being stopped by police

GOOGLE STREETVIEW CAR PULLED OVER BY POLICE FOR DRIVING IN BUS LANE

One of the cars that are currently filming every road in Britain stopped by police - for driving in a bus lane.

The distinctive vehicle – complete with roof-mounted camera pole and Google logo on the door - was stopped in the centre of Bradford at 12.40pm yesterday.

Eyewitnesses described how the Google car was followed through the city centre by a panda car with sirens blazing.

“I was just going on my lunch break at work today and I noticed a black car that had stopped at a red light, said Chris Whiteoak, who took the pictures above. "It had a Google sticker on the side, and a large camera 'thing' on the top.

“I decided to pull out my camera phone to take a pic, but just as I did a police car pulled up right behind it and put on its lights and the officer inside was motioning the car to pull over."

“I then realised why, as the car was in the lane to go straight ahead, which was marked ‘bus, bicycle, taxi only’.

“Before I could take another pic, the Google car sped off, went nearly the whole way round the block in busy Bradford city centre (the police still following now with lights and siren on), before eventually pulling into a car park, which just happened to be the car park to the old police station.”

A West Yorksire police spokesman confirmed that the Google car had been pulled over on Channing Way in the city but said that no further action had been taken.

“The vehicle had driven down a bus only lane and the officer just pulled him over to see what he was doing,” a spokeswoman said.

“He explained that we was from Google and had permission to be in the area, and he was sent on his way.”

Google confirmed last month that its camera cars had begun filming in Britain.
Google StreetView, which already covers more than 50 US cities, is an eye-level mapping service that allows billions of web users to take close-up tours of urban centres.

Privacy campaigners have threatened to refer it to the Information Commissioner over concerns that it may break data protection laws, by recording and broadcasting people without their consent.

Google has said it will not launch the service in the UK until it is comfortable that it complies with local law.

(Telegraph)

Last week I noticed one of these vehicles on my local high street and realised that the Google 'Big Brother' spy had arrived in the UK.

The Google Earth spy car takes images
of individual streets for inclusion on the
StreetView website

Plans by Google to photograph millions of British homes and publish them online have been condemned as a 'gross invasion of privacy'.

The internet giant's StreetView website will allow anyone in the world to type in a UK address or postcode and instantly see a 360-degree picture of the street.

It will include close-ups of buildings, cars and people. Critics say the site is a 'burglar's charter' that makes it easy for criminals to check out potential victims.

The pictures also show people leaving and entering hospitals, health clinics, adult shops and hotels. Although their faces are deliberately blurred, many could still be recognised by their clothing and hair colour.

The site was launched in major American cities last year.

Google has confirmed it is now in the process of photographing Britain as part of the Street View project.

Cars emblazoned with the company's logo and carrying massive 360-degree cameras have been spotted circling the streets of British cities in recent weeks.

The data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's office, is so concerned about StreetView that it has written to Google demanding privacy guarantees.

A Google spokeswoman said: 'Google works hard to make sure that our products respect both users' expectations of privacy, and local privacy laws, in each country in which they are launched. Google Maps Street View is no exception.'

StreetView is designed to complement Google Earth, a collection of satellite pictures that covers every square mile of the globe.

Google Earth has come under fire for the level of detail in its overhead pictures, which have become enormously popular.

The pictures don't just show which homes have swimming pools or tennis courts, they can reveal the model and colour of cars, whether gardens have furniture and even sunbathers lying outside.

Critics say the site can be used by burglars planning escape routes from homes and by terrorists looking for military bases.

The site has even been used by teenagers arranging unauthorised swimming parties in unoccupied homes.

Users of the new StreetView website can either browse maps of towns before clicking on a street view, or type in an address or postcode.

By clicking on arrows on the screen, users will feel like they are walking down the street and will be able to look right, left or behind them during their virtual tour.

The images show which homes belong to wealthy owners, which have easy access for burglars, which have expensive cars parked outside and which have alarm boxes.

And although the pictures are not 'live' - they will be updated once every few years - the website has also raised concerns about people photographed by the roving cameras.

In Britain, anyone is allowed to take a picture of a house or a street and put it on the Internet. But if some pictures show the inside of someone's house, even inadvertently, then homeowners could show their privacy has been breached under common law.

Similarly, we are legally entitled to take pictures of people, even complete strangers, and post them on the Internet. But if a man is photographed walking past an adult store - but not going in - giving the wrong impression that he is a customer, then the image could defame his character.

(Daily Mail)

Full article at:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1031861/Big-Brother-The-Google-cars-photograph-EVERY-door-Britain.html

You may also like to go to: http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/

Note: 'Streetview' can only be found on 'Google Maps' and NOT on 'Google Earth' as the article suggests.

(Click on image to enlarge)

More money is spent on food for prisoners in police cells than for NHS patients and frontline troops combined, it has been disclosed.

Police are given £12 a day for each inmate held at a police station, the Ministry of Justice has admitted. This is six times more than is given to primary schools to feed each child and more than the sum of £8.49 for a hospital patient and £2.69 for a soldier in Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Justice said that more than £600,000 is being spent each year on feeding inmates held in police stations due to a lack of prison places.

In 2006-07, convicted prisoners spent a total of 61,000 days in police cells under 'Operation Safeguard', the scheme brought in by John Reid, the former Home Secretary when the prisons system reached maximum capacity in 2006. It costs a total of £385 to keep a prisoner in a police cell for a night.

The situation was described as "a disgrace" by the Conservatives.

The Shadow Police Reform Minister, David Ruffley, said: "Once again money that should be spent fighting and reducing crime is being wasted. Taxpayers will be appalled at this profligacy.

"This problem has only arisen because of complete mismanagement of our prison system resulting in severe overcrowding.

"The Government's incompetence means our police are spending more time as prison jailers and less time as crime fighters."

In a written answer to the House of Commons, Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, said: "The difference arises because food in prison can be planned with much greater certainty and prison establishments are able to make use of bulk purchasing."

(Telegraph)

TOP COP DEMOTED AFTER SAYING BMWs WERE "BLACK MAN'S WHEELS"

A senior police officer has been demoted after referring to a model BMW car as 'black man's wheels'.

Former Superintendent Chris Pretty was given the toy by colleagues at a party for his sendoff as head of training for West Midlands Police.

Two officers complained about his 'racist joke' and Mr Pretty, a respected officer who headed a crackdown on black- on-black crime, was hauled before a misconduct panel.

He was demoted by one rank to Chief Inspector after the hearing last week.

Anti-racism campaigners yesterday welcomed the result.

Bini Brown, from the African Caribbean Self Help Organisation in Birmingham said:

'These particular comments made by a highranking police officer merely add fuel to the myth that BMWs are only driven by black criminals.

'If West Midlands Police have seen fit to make an example of this officer and discipline him then I welcome that.

'But I think the problem of institutional racism within the police force is a deep-rooted one and reflected across society. It is not going to be conquered overnight.'

The leaving party was held in Edgbaston, Birmingham, in September last year as Mr Pretty transferred to neighbouring Coventry.

A source said: 'Chris collects model cars and he was given one as a leaving present.

'He was a former captain in the army and is into hunting and shooting, but toy cars are his main hobby.

'When he opened the miniature BMW he joked: "Oh, Black Man's Wheels".

'It was just a joke. Cops seem to spend more time investigating each other these days than they do catching criminals.

'It's a complete over-reaction. They're obviously more interested in political correctness than letting officers get on with the job of tackling crooks.'

Mr Pretty has been applauded by members of the city's black community in the past.

He once headed West Midlands Police's Operation Ventara, a unit investigating black-on-black crime, and was instrumental in bringing witnesses forward for murder cases.

(Mail Online)

2006: Young offenders locked up for crimes including burglary are being given PlayStations to play with behind bars - paid for by the taxpayer.

The Home Office has spent £7,200 on the latest computer games for inmates at Brinsford Young Offenders' Institution, near Wolverhampton.

Incredibly, the 72 consoles come with games including the notorious Grand Theft Auto - where players gain points for killing policemen, carjacking, selling drugs and committing armed robbery.

It was hoped the games would stop prisoners getting depressed because of the long hours spent in cells with nothing to do.

2008: It appears the government has finally cottoned on to the fact that prison is considered a little bit cushy, and will ban those locked up from playing computer games – unless they are a suicide risk or have earned the privilege.

Over-18 games have been banned from prisons entirely and gaming has been resticted to those who are at the top level of the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme or, bizarrely, those who are considered a suicide risk.

Prison Service Instruction Number 32/2008 states: "In the adult (18 and over) estate access is to be restricted to those prisoners on the enhanced level of the IEP scheme only. In addition, no 18-rated console games are to be permitted. Governors must ensure that action to implement these changes is completed by 30 September 2008."

"With immediate effect, governors must ensure that all games consoles and console games are purchased at prisoners' own expense. No public funds must be used by establishments to purchase games consoles and equipment."

An image of Soham murderer Ian Huntley with a PlayStation in his cell sparked controversy earlier in the year, and the furore appears to have forced changes.

"These changes will ensure that prisoners may only earn access to games consoles by a positive demonstration of good behaviour and commitment to the requirements of their sentence plan," adds the report.

(Several sources)

Banned: Donkey riding has joined ice-cream van music in the officialdom clamp down

With the summer holidays getting into full swing this weekend, I suppose it was inevitable that someone would find a way of banning ice cream vans.

Worcester Council has decreed that no van can play its chimes for more than four seconds every three minutes.

That's barely enough time to belt out the first bar of the Teddy Bears' Picnic. Cough and you'll miss it. And the noise mustn't exceed 80 decibels at a distance of 25ft.

OK, so Worcester isn't exactly everyone's first choice of a summer vacation destination. But just you wait until other councils cotton on.

Within a couple of years, there won't be an ice cream van left anywhere in Britain.

Soon, the jobs pages of The Guardian will be packed with adverts for Ice Cream Van Prevention Co-ordinators on thirty grand and a Toyota Pious - applications especially welcomed from members of the transgendered community, who are currently underrepresented in the field of frozen dessert enforcement.

Lollipop ladies will be switched from school-crossing patrol to ice cream surveillance duties.

Sea-fronts from Lulworth Cove to Largs will be over-run with council officials armed with decibel metres, stopwatches and tape measures.

It's happening already. Tom Davison, from the Ice Cream Alliance, says more and more vendors are being forced out of business by the bureaucrats.

Mr Davison, 54, said: 'It's harder and harder to make an honest living. Whether you play your chimes for six or seven seconds, does it really cause harm to anyone?'

Of course not. This is just another manifestation of Britain's killjoy culture. Government at every level works on the basis: find out what people enjoy doing and stop them.

Which of us doesn't have a happy childhood memory of the thrill of the sound of the ice cream van approaching?

Sadly, if the noise abatement nazis get their way, it is an innocent pleasure which will be denied to future generations.

Think I'm exaggerating? Councils from Blackpool to Bournemouth are already busy banning donkey rides, on animal cruelty grounds, and Punch and Judy shows, which they ludicrously claim glorify domestic violence.

They're sweeping away pavement tables and cafe advertising boards, which they say can obstruct the free passage of wheelchairs.

Some are even going as far as trying to ban smoking on public beaches - and the accident prevention brigade have got deckchairs in their sights, too.

Thanks to the food hygiene mentalists, it's become almost impossible to eat fish and chips out of the paper any more.

Wrapping in newspaper was outlawed years ago, in case we all fell victim to ink poisoning.

Instead, you'll likely be given one of those horrible polystyrene boxes and a plastic chip fork.

And, as I observed recently, the condiment communists are so hell-bent on preventing your arteries silting up that they're confiscating salt cellars with more than five holes.

We're told that more people will be taking their summer holidays at home this year, because of the collapsing pound and the usual chaos at the airports.

But millions more will break for the border. It's a fair bet many of you are reading this as you wait to board your plane or ferry.

This isn't just because a fortnight in Florida is still cheaper than a wet weekend in Frinton.

It's not that most British seaside towns are rundown dole-claimant dormitories, which seem to take a perverse delight in driving people away through a combination of rip-off prices, tatty boarding houses, disgusting food and draconian parking regimes.

It's that getting out of the country frees the spirit. For a couple of weeks, there's an escape from the grinding, soul-destroying onslaught of officialdom - a sanctuary from the pettifogging, hectoring, snooping, bullying, punishment freaks who are such a fixture of our lives in Brown's Britain.

One of the most striking aspects of holidaying in Europe is the conspicuous absence of any of those ridiculous rules which are imposed upon us at home in the name of 'Europe'.

There's no forest of speed cameras every few hundred yards, no clamping vans, no ripe harvest of signs telling you what you can't do and how much they're going to fine you if you disobey them.

Other countries seem able to come to a grown-up, amicable accommodation between the rights of smokers and non-smokers.

For a brief time, you're liberated from the constant badgering to cut your fat intake, eat your greens and watch your units of alcohol, otherwise you're going to DIE!

You might also notice that in Europe they take a rather more civilised attitude towards airport security.

Despite 'EU' recycling rules, they still manage to empty the dustbins every day - not once a fortnight.

(Richard Littlejohn in the Daily Mail)

BENT BANANA AND CURVED CUCUMBER RULES DROPPED

EU rules banning bent bananas and curved cucumbers are set to be scrapped.

A majority of EU member states, including Britain and Ireland, have voted to reform rules like EC Commission Regulation No 2257/94, which caused international ridicule by stating that all bananas must be "free of abnormal curvature" and at least 14 cm in length.

Imperfectly-shaped fruit and vegetables may now be back on supermarket shelves by 2009.

France, Italy, Spain and Greece opposed the reforms and were accused by officials of unfairly seeking to protect the interests of their farmers.

Mariann Fischer Boel, the European agriculture commissioner, has said that she also wants to scrap a swathe of regulations on produce such as onions, garlic, caulifower and spinach.

Speaking before the vote she said the rules were outdated and especially inappropriate at the time of a world food shortages.

She said: "In this era of high prices and growing demand, it makes no sense to throw (misshapen fruit and vegetables) away or destroy them. It shouldn't be the EU's job to regulate these things."

Under the present regulations, Class 1 cucumbers must be "practically straight" and be bent by a gradient of no more than 1/10.

Produce that does not meet the minimum standards can not at present be sold as second-class, meaning many edible items are thrown away by farmers.

(Daily Telegraph)

CCTV CAMERAS INSTALLED IN CINEMAS

CCTV Cameras have been installed to watch over their audiences by Britain's largest cinema chain.

The cameras, which cost £30,000 each, have been installed at several Odeon cinemas across the country, allowing the audience in each screen to be monitored by staff in the foyer.

They have been installed at nine cinemas in major cities, including Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and London, and the company plans to install them in all newly built cinemas.

Human rights groups and cinema-goers have expressed their concerns at the introduction of cameras to yet another area of life, with some declaring them an invasion into the audience's privacy.

Liberty, the civil liberties campaign group, has called for Odeon to make every audience member aware that they are being filmed.

Liberty's Policy Officer, Gareth Crossman said: "Film-goers should be informed of the presence of the cameras so that they can go elsewhere if they are unhappy with being filmed themselves."

James Dolan, 26, from Birmingham, who described himself as a regular cinema-goer, said: "I go to the cinema to watch other people be filmed, not to be filmed myself.

"I'm not happy about it. Isn't that why going to the cinema is so fun? So you can have a kiss and a cuddle in the back row. It is a complete infringement of my civil liberties."

Odeon say the cameras are being introduced to allow staff to monitor audience behaviour and prevent crime.

They say that all footage will be destroyed after 31 days, with only suspicious incidents preserved to be used as evidence.

A spokesperson for Odeon said: "Odeon is committed to providing the safest and most enjoyable experience possible for its guests and therefore install CCTV systems in-screen in cinemas where it is deemed necessary.

The camera system and subsequent footage is solely for the safety and security of guests."

(Daily Telegraph)

Police dog handlers have been told to consider whether criminals could be frightened of dogs before using them in raids or searches.

They should also think carefully about the possibility of suspects being allergic to dog hair, according to draft guidelines drawn up by senior officers.

The proposals follow fears that suspects with medical conditions affected by dogs could sue forces which authorise the animals' use during arrests or raids.

Serving officers, however, have ridiculed the plans, claiming they would make police a laughing stock.

'The whole point of police dogs is to frighten people rigid, at least those who have just committed a crime and would otherwise make a clean getaway,' a sergeant told the magazine Police Review.

'They should have considered the mental trauma and possible allergic reaction of 60 lbs of foaming Alsatian clamping its teeth to their extremities before embarking on their latest criminal escapade.

'The traditional shout of "stand still or I will set the dog on you" will presumably now have to become "excuse me, my police dog is quite hairy and might cause alarm as he sinks his fangs into your right thigh - is that all right with you?" '

Peter Vaughan, the Association of Chief Police Officers' adviser on dogs, explained the principle behind the proposals.
'The draft guidelines outline a general principle that forces should consider what steps can be taken to avoid offending people during operations.'

Mr Vaughan, a deputy chief constable of South Wales Police, added: 'This might include different categories of people such as those with a fear of dogs, for example, or asthma sufferers who may be sensitive to dog hair.'

PC David Heaps, a dog handling trainer at Derbyshire Constabulary, added: 'We are very mindful not to cause offence.'

However a serving dog handler, who asked not to be named, declared: 'I have never heard anything so ridiculous. What's next? Sparing people custody because they have a fear of enclosed spaces?

'This is just another example of namby-pamby policing laid down by people who haven't been on the beat in years.'

(From an article in the Daily Mail)

DOROTHY JUDD WAS REPORTED TO THE POLICE FOR SIMPLY PLAYING IN THE WOODS WITH HER FIVE-YEAR-OLD GRANDSON

"I'll have to take down a few details." The policeman takes out his notebook and asks my name, date of birth, Max's date of birth, my address. I say I live in London, but am staying with my son and daughter-in-law . . .

The story continues at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/21/familyandrelationships

(Click on image to enlarge)"

During my recent research into "Victorian Leisure" for my local history group, I came across the the above photograph.

It doesn't look very safe, or pleasant, does it?

And the 'bathers' don't look very happy either.

In fact, all of them are standing rather than swimming.

I can't say that I blame them!

'RIDICULOUS' HEALTH AND SAFETY RULES TELL CARPENTERS TO BAN THE BROOM

Carpenters and woodworkers have been told not to use brooms to sweep up sawdust because they are considered dangerous under "ridiculous" new health and safety guidelines.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) claims that sweeping up wood chippings in dusty workplaces can provoke asthma attacks and long term exposure lead to nose cancer.

Instead they are advising carpentry firms to buy state-of-the-art vacuum cleaners and air purification systems which can cost thousands of pounds.

Small companies say they cannot afford the equipment but are repeatedly nagged to upgrade during safety checks.

Sherry Coles, who deals with health and safety for Shapet Joinery in Bristol, said the firm has been using brooms for 25 years without incident.

She said: "Brooms are a quick and easy way of cleaning up and we've been using them for 25 years now without any problems.

"We're aware of the sweeping guidelines but as a small company we have limited resources and can't meet it 100 per cent.

"I know health and safety is important for employees but I believe in the future you won't be able to sneeze without filling in a form.

"People should be allowed to use their own initiative and common sense. If you had dust in your house you would just sweep it up. It's getting beyond a joke."

The boss of a joinery firm in Tayside, Scotland - who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of more health and safety checks - said: "I've been using a broom since Jesus's old man was a carpenter.

"This advice it totally off the wall. Industrial vacuum cleaners are expensive and they aren't nearly as good as an apprentice armed with a stiff-bristled brush."

Michael Lee, secretary of the British Woodworking Association, welcomed the recommendations but agreed firms would struggle to pay for new machines.

He said: "The cost of industrial vacuums can range from several hundreds of pounds to over £1,500 for the more powerful type of cleaner."

A HSE spokesman said the guidance is designed to protect UK joiners - who are four times more likely to get asthma than the average worker.

He said: "The guideline is advice and it's certainly not mandatory. Tests have repeatedly proven wood dust can cause asthma or even cancer.

"Our advice would be for companies to invest in high-powered vacuum cleaners but it's not a requirement under law."

(Telegraph)

THE LEGAL RIGHT OF ALL HOUSEHOLDERS TO HAVE THEIR BINS EMPTIED BY THEIR LOCAL COUNCILS IS TO BE ABOLISHED

The government is to give councils the power to refuse to collect rubbish if home owners fail to abide by draconian rules which may include leaving bins in the right place, sticking to weight restrictions and following strict recycling policies.

The proposals will allow town halls to set their own rules on what constitutes a contravention of waste collection policies

Labour is quietly pushing the new rules through parliament without any debate after it proposed amendments to a 130-year-old law which has, until now, made it a statutory duty of local authorities to collect household waste.

There are fears that the changes to the law will lead to large increases in fly-tipping, bonfires of noxious substances and rat infestations around uncollected waste. Despite this, there will no reduction in council tax for home owners.

(Daily Telegraph)

Hospital staff are being banned from making cups of tea - because bosses want to cut down on electricity.

But the move has angered unions, who say the power used by such appliances is 'a drop in the ocean' compared with the rest of the hospitals' utility bills.

Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals staff face a crackdown on the use of kettles, fridges and microwaves.

Last year, the trust used £1 million worth of electricity. But John Cawood, head of estates at the trust, has warned that could rise to £1.4 million if usage stays the same.

'Many departments are using individual kettles, fridges and microwaves, often based in offices.

'To reduce our costs, this will not be allowed and will help to reduce our energy consumption,' he told staff in an internal newsletter.

He added: 'Staff should use dining rooms, beverage areas and rest areas around the hospital if you have a kitchen or rest area, then please use this one area.'

Graham Parish, of Unison in Dorset, said: 'I suspect the kettles and microwaves meant staff were staying at their desks working while they had a snack or a cup of tea.

'If they have to go to the canteen, it increases the amount of time away from the desk, so what the trust saves on electricity, it might lose in terms of staff productivity.

A hospital spokesman said: 'Encouraging the removal of kettles and toasters within offices and wards has been ongoing for some time following advice from the fire service that these items can be a risk.

'There is an ongoing campaign of good housekeeping within the trust to reduce our energy consumption, not only for the environment but also as part of continuing efficiency savings across our hospitals.

(From a Daily Mail article)

When Gary Crutchley started taking pictures of his children playing on an inflatable slide he thought they would be happy reminders of a family day out.

But the innocent snaps of seven-year-old Cory, and Miles, five, led to him being called a ‘pervert’.

The woman running the slide at Wolverhampton Show asked him what he was doing and other families waiting in the queue demanded that he stop.

Picture of innocence: The photograph Gary Crutchley took of
his sons Cory and Miles

One even accused him of photographing youngsters to put the pictures on the internet.

Mr Crutchley, 39, who had taken pictures only of his own children, was so enraged that he found two policemen who confirmed he had done nothing wrong.

Yesterday he said: ‘What is the world coming to when anybody seen with a camera is assumed to be doing things that they should not?

‘This parental paranoia is getting completely out of hand. I was so shocked. One of the police officers told me that it was just the way society-is these days. He agreed with me that it was madness.’

Father- of-three Mr Crutchley, a consultant for a rubber manufacturer from Walsall, West Midlands, was with his wife Tracey and their sons when the pleasant Sunday afternoon out turned sour.

He said: ‘The children wanted to go on an inflatable slide and I started taking photos of them having a good time. Moments later the woman running the slide told me to stop.

‘When I asked why, she told me I could not take pictures of other people’s children. I explained I was only interested in taking photos of my own children and pointed out that this was taking place in a public park.

‘I showed her the photos I had taken to prove my point. Then another woman joined in and said her child was also on the slide and did not want me taking pictures of the youngster.

All together now, smile: Gary and Tracey with
Cory, left, and Miles

‘I repeated that the only people being being photographed were my own children. She said I could be taking pictures of just any child to put on the internet and called me a pervert. We immediately left the show.’

Mrs Crutchley, 37, a teaching support assistant and qualified nursery nurse, said: ‘I was shocked by the reaction of those women.

'It is very sad when every man with a camera enjoying a Sunday afternoon out in the park with his children is automatically assumed to be a pervert.’

The slide was run by Tracey Dukes, 35, whose father Malcolm Gwinnett has an inflatables hire company.

Mr Gwinnett, 58, a LibDem councillor in Wolverhampton, said: ‘Our policy is to ask people taking photos whether they have children on the slide. If they do, then that is fine.

‘But on this occasion another customer took exception to what the man was doing and an argument developed between those two people that continued without any further involvement from staff on the slide.’

(Mail Online)

Entrepreneurial schoolboy wins 10-month legal battle with council over his 'illegal' sign advertising bags of manure

A 14-year-old schoolboy who earns extra pocket money selling bags of manure has won a 10-month legal battle against a council over his 'illegal' advertising sign.

Stunned Steve Sayer was told his board, which reads 'Steve's horse manure with wiggly worms' was placed on the roadside without permission.

Planning officials at Sedgemoor District Council, Somerset, ruled the six foot by three foot sign was a breach of strict planning rules - and threatened the Year 9 pupil with legal action if it was not removed.

But the plucky teenager, who has sold the manure from his father's horse livery yard in Cheddar, Somerset, since he was 11, fought back and appealed the ruling.

He collected 1,200 signatures from local residents and submitted a petition to the council.

And today the council's planning inspector overturned the decision after a 10-month battle.

Steve's father Julian said the ruling was a 'victory for common sense'.

Julian, 43, said: 'The Planning Inspectorate applied that rare commodity known as "common sense" and overturned the planning authorities' decision on every count.

'It was a crazy decision in the first place, which sought to stifle young entrepreneurship with rigid application of rules.'

Entrepreneurial Steve, who hopes to be 'the next Richard Branson', began selling the manure from Julian's horse livery yard when he was just 11.

He earns 83p for each kilo of manure he sweeps up, and has made a profit of almost £4,500 since he started his business in 2005.

In 2006, the Year 9 pupil at nearby Sidcot School spent £100 of his own money on the sign, which he placed between two old wagon wheels on the verge of the A371.

But problems arose in September 2007, when Cheddar Parish Council forwarded a letter of complaint to planning chiefs at Sedgemoor Council about the 'garish' advertisement.

Officials said the board, which shows caricatures of a farmer, was illegally placed and could also distract motorists.

But Steve, who removed the sign from the roadside at the time, spent six months collecting signatures from local residents.

In January this year, Steve also applied for planning permission - but was turned down.

Steve launched an appeal which was upheld earlier this month on the grounds that the sign was not placed on council-owned land, and did not pose a danger risk to motorists.

Now the sign has been put back on the verge, where it will stay for at least five years.

Julian added: 'We now have permission to display the sign for five years - by which time Steve will either have moved on to something else or retired on the proceeds of his business.

'Steve's been doing this since he's been 11, and we just think it's great that he uses his time so constructively.

'It's taken time for the business to develop, but he's sold more than 2,000 bags now.'

A spokesman for Sedgemoor District Council said it had a 'duty' to remove the sign, adding: 'We had complaints from at least one individual about the sign and so we had a duty to investigate it.

'We found that the sign was there illegally, and so we had the responsibility to enforce the law and ask for it to be taken down.'

(Mail Online)

£80,000 PAYOUT FOR DRIVER WHO WAS TOLD TO RETAKE HIS TEST BECAUSE HE WAS GAY

A man who was told to retake his driving test because he is homosexual is to receive £80,000 compensation.

Danilo Giuffrida, 26, told doctors he was gay at his medical examination for military service in his native Italy.

They passed the information to the country's transport ministry, which told him he must repeat his driving test or have his licence withdrawn because of his 'sexual identity disturbance'.

Mr Giuffrida agreed to retake his test and passed it for a second time, but the ministry renewed his licence for one year rather than the usual ten because of his homosexuality.

A judge in Catania, on the southern island of Sicily, said the actions of the defence and transport ministries showed 'evident sexual discrimination' against Giuffrida and ran counter to his constitutional rights.

He ordered them to pay £80,000 damages when he issued his verdict on Saturday.

(Mail Online)

SCHOOL SACK RACES CANCELLED BY HEALTH AND SAFETY - BECAUSE THE CHILDREN MIGHT FALL OVER

Children have been banned from taking part in sack and three-legged races at their school sports day in case they hurt themselves.

The decision has been slammed as 'completely over the top' and of no benefit.

Teachers at John F Kennedy Primary in Washington, Tyne and Wear, dropped the popular events after discussions with Beamish Open Air Museum, where an Edwardian-themed sports day is being held today.

Teachers at the John F. Kennedy Primary school have scrapped the sports day sack race fearing children will fall over

Children taking part are to dress in period costume and play old-fashioned games as part of the school's centenary celebrations.

Events such as running, hopping and throwing ping-pong balls into buckets will take place, but it was decided that the sack and three-legged races were far too risky.

Simon Woolley, head of education at Beamish in County Durham, said: "We looked at a three-legged race and a sack race but what we want to do is minimise the risk to the children.

'We had to assess which of the activities were liable to cause a risk. We thought we would be better to do hopping and running instead because there was less chance of them falling over.'

The decision has come under fire by the Campaign Against Political Correctness group.

Founder Laura Midgely, of Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, said: 'It's health and safety rules gone mad. I think it's completely over the top.

'Why should these activities be so dangerous when they're fine in every other school? We certainly had no problems with these events when I was at school.

'In any case, the worst thing that could possibly happen is the children fall over.

'They're going to fall over doing any event aren't they?

'Three-legged races are very constructive and involve teamwork . . . they are good for a number of reasons. It's a great shame.'

Around 375 children aged four to 11 are taking part in the event.

Teacher and organiser Gill Hanley said: "As far as I know, an awful lot of schools haven't done these kind of activities for a long time so I don't see that it's a problem.

'We decided we had too many events anyway and we wanted the easiest things that we could get for the children to take part in.'

(Mail Online)