Uninsured drivers face
losing their vehicles
by staff reporter
UNINSURED and unlicensed drivers in Warrington now face having their vehicles confiscated ? and destroyed.
Police are seizing vehicles being driven by unlicensed or uninsured drivers and those who can’t prove they are above board within 14 days lose their vehicle for good.
A total of 182 vehicles have been seized in Cheshire since new legislation was introduced ? and a substantial number of these ended up in the crusher.
Traffic Sergeant Rachel Gallagher said: “It’s important to point out that a vehicle can be seized if a driver is uninsured or driving without the relevant licence, so a driver must be fully covered to be in the clear.
“We know there are a minority of drivers out there who are committing motoring offences on a daily basis and these powers are helping us take positive action against them. Hopefully, the very thought of having your car seized and crushed will be enough to make offenders think twice before getting behind the wheel.”
Vehicles can be seized by any uniformed officer who has reasonable grounds to believe a driver is not covered. If the driver cannot prove he is covered there and then, the car can be seized immediately.
The driver then has seven days to produce his driving documents at a police station and a total of 14 days from the date of seizure to reclaim the vehicle. If the vehicle isn’t reclaimed within 14 days it can be destroyed. The same process applies even when a driver is not the owner of the vehicle.
Disqualified drivers are also affected by the regulations as they too will have their vehicle confiscated if they ignore their driving ban and are caught behind the wheel.
The seizure powers make the consequences of driving without the correct cover in place more severe than ever.
Drivers not only lose their vehicle – possibly for good – they have to pay to reclaim it, and face criminal prosecution.
“At the end of the day, it’s simply isn’t worth it,” said Sgt Gallagher. “Driving licences and insurance policies are in place for a reason. They help keep our roads safe and help protect people should the worst happen. It is not right that a minority of people should be able to get away with ignoring the law.
“We will be using these powers to ensure this handful of people get the message their behaviour won’t be tolerated.”
Hospital hits targets
on waiting times
by David Skentelbery
WARRINGTON Hospital has met key Government waiting time targets ? and hospital chiefs are forecasting more ?dramatic improvements.?
North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust ? which runs both Warrington and Halton General hospitals ? says no patients has to wait more than 13 weeks for their first outpatient appointment or more than six months for planned inpatient care.
In fact, the majority of patients receive their treatment or care much faster than these maximum times – especially in urgent cases.
Rob Smith, the Trust’s deputy director of operations, said: “Each of these waiting times statistics can represent a personal story of anxiety or even pain for the person waiting for their appointment or treatment and we are committed to reducing waiting times for that reason.
“A wide range of healthcare staff – including consultants, nurses and managers – have all put in a great deal of work over the past year to make these challenging targets a reality for patients across North Cheshire, without adversely affecting standards of care.
“Halton and Warrington Primary Care Trusts have also played an important role by providing operations in the private sector to NHS patients. That is in addition to the increased number of procedures and appointments carried out within the Trust.”
Carol Hillam, the Trust’s outpatient manager, also praised appointments staff at the two hospitals for their role in meeting the targets while at the same time introducing new processes aimed at making appointment times more convenient for patients.
That combined effort reduced maximum waiting times for outpatient appointments from 17 weeks at the start of 2005 to their present level. While a small handful of surgical patients waited for up to nine months for their operation earlier in 2005, that has been dramatically lessened to just six months at most.
Mr Smith added this achievement was an important step towards ensuring that waiting times are no longer an issue for people receiving NHS treatment in North Cheshire.
By 2008, all patients would receive their first treatment within 18 weeks of a GP referral, including the wait for diagnostic tests, outpatient or inpatient care.
Mr Smith said: “This will represent a dramatic improvement in waiting times. As recently as 2002, some patients across the country were waiting up to 18 months from their outpatient appointment to being admitted for treatment.”
Deadline looms for
cemetery tidy-up
by John Hendon
THIS Sunday is the deadline for the removal of teddy bears, flowers, photographs and other items from lawned areas around graves at Warrington?s Fox Covert Cemtery.
Any that remain after the weekend will be removed by cemetery staff and put in storage for one month so relatives of the deceased can collect them.
This follows extensive consultation with families of the deceased by the borough council which established that the majority of people were in favour of keeping lawned areas free of personal tributes.
During the last few weeks, grave owners have been removing items from around graves. But some items still remain in the lawned areas.
Relatives will still be able to place flowers and personal items on headstone plinths if they wish ? but the lawned areas will be out-of-bounds.
Bereavement Services manager Angela Dunn said: “We understand the need to personalise graves and appreciate that this is a very difficult situation for the small number of families involved. However, it was clear from the questionnaire we sent out that the majority were in favour of keeping the area in front of graves clear and we will, in a sensitive and caring manner, be taking steps to remove any items left.
?We are continuing to work to ensure that there is a balance between the wish for some families to personalise graves and at the same time, take into consideration the feelings of other grave owners and visitors.”
Students pack bags to
fund overseas trip
EAGER students from Warrington?s Priestley College who are about to embark on a special residential trip to Iceland as part of their geology/geography courses have been on a fund raising drive.
Eleven students who will visit the country at the end of March spent a day in ASDA at Birchwood helping shoppers with their bag packing in return for donations.
The outing completed a hat-trick of fund raising events which also saw the group take part in a sponsored car wash and a sponsored walk to Delemere Forest, which has culminated in them raising enough funds for the trip.
Keen students Emily Foster, Sam Royle, Kathie Taylor, Paul Adderley, Danny Cheung, Natalie Seddon, Kayleigh Dever, Andy Donnelly, Jenny Jones, Bex Suddick and Ashley Walker all got into the full spirit of things and in return were rewarded with funds totalling more than ?600.
A delighted geology tutor Gillian Finucane commented, “I greatly appreciate the hospitality shown to us by the ASDA store on what turned out to be a very useful day for the students on their fund raising drive.
“Now all the hard work is over we look forward to being able to enjoy the trip.”
Parish council will not
oppose school demolition
by Lesley Wilkinson
THE Parish Council at Stockton Heath, near Warrington has voted to take no further action on controversial plans to demolish the village primary school – despite being urged to do so by angry residents.
Clerk Peter Briggs told members that a previous vote h
ad been in favour of Warrington Borough Council’s plans to demolish Stockton Heath Primary School and replace it with a new building, and that decision must stand.
Members voted by six votes to four, to take no further action.
They advised residents, who have a 5,500-name petition in favour of refurbishing the current building, to take their campaign directly to the borough council.
Coun Tudor Pole said: “You have a good case, but you will have more impact going directly to them.”
Chairman Coun Maurice Leslie said there were limited grounds on which the decision of the borough council?s executive board could be reversed. The main one was for a judicial review on the decision.
Coun Lynn Pester said demolition of the building would take place in a controlled way, so that any archaeological finds could be protected. Museum staff would be involved and any finds would be displayed at public venues, and the school would carry out related projects.
She said it was expected that Roman remains could be found, because of the proximity to the site of the former Roman settlement at Wilderspool.
Less trouble, as
pubs stay open
by Lesley Wilkinson
LONGER opening hours for pubs in Stockton Heath have led to less late night rowdyism, it is claimed.
Police Community Support Officers believe the changes in legislation allowing pubs to stay open later have eased problems of late night noise and disturbance in the village.
CSO Pete Crellin told Stockton Heath Parish Council that the “general consensus” among officers was that there was not as much disturbance now in the village.
“There is not as much disruption and there are not the usual fights outside the Red Lion pub among those waiting for taxis,” he said.
“Residents in the flats on London Road say the area is quieter. And the people at Thorn Marine say it is quieter as people are not leaving the London Bridge pub en masse.?
[ 17.01.2006, 17:15: Message edited by: DS ]
