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Those who have insisted we have open borders used the pictures of a poor little dead boy, washed up on the beach and yet they can't stomach seeing a line of grown men We live in a country of luvvies who make a profession of been serially offended, afraid they will lose the cheap au pair and gardener

A friend told me about this last year but as I don't often need to dispose of bricks/plaster/rubble, it has not affected me until recently. I have just finished removing lots of 1970s tiles from the kitchen at my new house. Before loading the car with bags of old tiles and plaster I called into the local tips to ask advice. It turns out they won't accept cash. They did tell me I can buy a prepaid card in town and use that at the tip. Shame they also told me they need to see how much stuff I have in the car before they can tell me how much it will cost! So I either have to put lots of credit (which I know won't all be used) on their card, or load the car - go the the tip to find the price - then go into town and put credit on the card - then back to the tip to dump the rubbish and use the card. That won't be happening. Apparently you can also pay by credit card, but as I don't have one and manage to pay all my other bills without one I won't be using that option. I've also had problems with the tip being closed during the day as when they were moving the skips around inside. To add salt to the wound, the tip has a sign at the gate saying that flytipping is illegal and will be prosecuted. If the tip was open and did not charge for rubbish, I suspect a lot of flytipping would not happen. I know Wearside/Durham introduced a similar payment scheme within the last 10 years - then had to recruit additional staff to as the volume of stuff dumped around the area increased greatly. NCC are also making it very difficult to pay council tax with cash, I'm sure card payments suit them but cash is my only realistic option. If anyone wonders why flytipping is becoming more common, ask yourself if it's related to the recent charges/fees. (for info - I don't flytip - if anyone needs bags of old tiles for foundations just let me know) cheers, Pete

There has been lots of calls for a "ride in his honour" on Facebook, with a recent date set being retracted till the family decide what they want to do. Whilst lots of people signed up for the unofficial date, it has now been taken down. Should anything be organised within the groups I'm in, I'll try to remember to update the people here who are not following the biker groups, so you have the chance to attend either on a bike, or to watch as they go by. I'm sure it'll be quite a day if the family do decide to allow it officially, when they are feeling up to it. Whilst it is a terrible tragedy, The man went out doing what he loved. Not many of us will have the opportunity to say they lived life to the full when the reaper comes for them, like this man can. Either way, It was still too soon, and my thoughts go out to his family, especially his son, who will undoubtedly be inconsolable right now.

Extract from http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Highways/Roads/Lights.aspx We’re modernising street lighting in Northumberland by investing £25 million in new technologies. Nearly 17,000 lampposts will be replaced and all street lights will be fitted with new LED lights. Work began this spring on an ambitious £25 million project to modernise all street lights in Northumberland during the next three years. The council’s appointed contractor, Galliford Try, will be replacing about 29,000 lights with eco-friendly lighting emitting diode (LED) technology. Old concrete and steel columns will also be replaced by steel ones. Benefits of LED lighting LED lights will reduce energy costs by more than 60% and ultimately save about £300,000 per year. The cost of maintenance should also decrease by 60%. The fittings will emit a whiter light, making street lighting appear brighter. The project is being funded by an Invest to Save initiative, where the funding will be repaid within 25 years from the anticipated budget savings of about £300,000 a year. Your questions answered When is this work going to take place? Work started in March 2015 in the southeast of the county and will continue for three years. How much notice will I receive if works are to be carried out in my street? You will receive a reminder postcard a couple of weeks before work begins. Look out for the notification boards placed around lighting columns to let you know our contractor will begin work in your area shortly. How long will the workmen be in my road? For a straightforward replacement of lanterns, the works should take about 20 minutes per street light to complete. Occasionally the electricity supply to the street light will need to be disconnected and reconnected, which will take longer. Please be reassured the old street light will remain in place and lit until the electricity supply can be switched across to the new LED light. Will the workmen require access to my property? Our operatives do not require access to you property. Anybody claiming to need access could be a bogus caller. How many lights are there in Northumberland? We currently maintain: 46,531 street lighting columns (or lampposts) 2,625 illuminated traffic signs 1,360 illuminated bollards What is the new technology? LEDs give the ability to vary lighting levels to control energy consumption. What are the benefits? LED street lights typically use around half the amount of energy used by existing street lights in Northumberland. With the new technology lasting longer, there will only be minimal maintenance required. How much money and carbon will we save? On completion, and after dealing with the loan repayment, it is hoped we will save about £300,000 per year. The carbon footprint of the street lighting stock will reduce by more than 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Will the lampposts be painted? Our plan is to seek views on the various colours to be used in and around town centres and areas of special interest. This may involve additional costs to the relevant town or parish council. My street seems darker since the fitting of the LED lights. Why is this? When lighting with white lights, the lighting levels need to be slightly reduced to prevent glare or dazzle. The LED lights are also manufactured and fitted to help reduce light pollution, ensuring footpaths and roads are well lit but avoiding an intrusion of light into people’s homes and gardens. The sole function of the street lighting is to light the highway to ensure the council meets its duty of care to road and footpath users. My street seems to be more brightly lit. Why is this? Some streets in Northumberland still have the old lighting type, which doesn’t meet current lighting standards. Because of this, they require replacing to bring them up to recommended standards. How will the new lights affect street safety? LED lights will help support better crime detection as it improves images captured at night from CCTV, as well as allowing clothing colours and car registration numbers to be more easily identified. This will make our streets safer and help in giving a more accurate description to police. If the council wants to save money, why doesn’t it look at turning the lights down during the night when there are fewer people and vehicles around? The new LED lights will be fitted with technology that enables the council to ‘dim’ street lighting at certain times. Many local authorities now use this method or even ‘part-night lighting,’ where they turn lights off on certain roads between midnight and 6am. In Northumberland, we want to ensure roads remain lit at all times. However, in order to ensure maximum savings, we will be looking at dimming the LED lights between midnight and 6am. How can we let the council know our views on the project? Contacting the project manager, Gavin Barlow, on 01670 622 980 or by email at gavin.barlow@northumberland.gov.uk How do I let the council know what I thought of the work once it is finished? You will receive a card though your letterbox, asking you to feedback any comments – positive or negative - about how the work was carried out in your street. You can also contact project manager Gavin Barlow on 01670 622 980 or by email at gavin.barlow@northumberland.gov.uk