Crony Trading Ltd

It is unlikely you will ever feel lucky when you get a parking ticket. But a new study has revealed how living or working in a particular part of the country may mean you have a greater chance of getting off. It shows Runneymede Borough Council accepted just 9% of challenges between January and October 2016, with Staffordshire County Council only marginally more persuadable at 10%. Meanwhile, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council were much more amenable, waiving more than 95% of fines. Parking wardens 'told to target the elderly' The results indicated regional variations, too. In Berkshire, drivers in Slough (23%) were nearly three times less likely to get off a penalty than in Bracknell Forest (64%), situated half-an-hour away. In Medway, Kent, motorists were half as likely to have their parking ticket cancelled (32%) than in neighbouring Swale, where 71% of appeals were accepted. On average, 38% of challenges to on-street fines made to local councils in Eng...

Chaos As One Million Passengers Hit Rail and Underground Tube Strikes  Sections of the Central line, used by more than 800,000 passengers a day were closed with severe delays to the remainder of the route. There was no service at the Eastern end between Leytonstone and Epping via Woodford with delays throughout central London to West Ruislip. Waterloo & City line services – the direct one-stop link between the mainline station and Bank – used by 32,000 passengers a day were suspended. Southern Rail mainline services, carrying 300,000 plus passengers a day, suffered cancellations and delays because of a 24-hour walkout – the 29th strike – by train guards in the long running dispute over driver-only operation (DOO.) The company reported disruption to all 10 line groups including the Brighton line and Gatwick Express . Southern commuters changing to South West Trains services arriving at Waterloo were then hit by the strike on the Waterloo & City line. There we...

London weather:  Thick Fog Cause Destruction  Flights in and out of London’s airports have been hit by major delays and cancellations as a blanket of thick fog descended on the capital.   Londoners awoke on Saturday to mist and thick fog which has sparked severe travel disruption at the capital’s airports on one of the busiest days for passengers in the winter as people head off on Christmas getaways.  Scores of flights at Heathrow and London City Airport have been grounded, diverted or cancelled with planes also held up at Gatwick.  Private Airport Tranfer Heathrow to London City Airport Ontime Bosses at City Airport described the fog as “ significant ” as they urged travellers to check journeys with their airlines.  Angry passengers complained they were stranded on runways for up to four hours because of the visibility at London’s hubs.   Martin Gilbraith tweeted: “ Canarian sunshine beckons, but pretty much ever...

A number of scheduled changes came into force on 1st April and will impact your bank balance. Here are the main ones you should know about. NHS prescription charges The NHS prescription charge in England increased by 15p from £8.05 to £8.20 for a single item from 1st April. However, the cost of a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) will be frozen. The three month certificate will remain at £29.10 and the annual certificate at £104. Those that need four or more items over a three month period or 13 or more items in a year will benefit from getting a PPC. Prescriptions are free of charge in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. NHS dental charges NHS dental charges are also rising in England and Wales. The basic Band 1 course of treatment in England has gone up 30p from £18.50 to £18.80 while in Wales it increased by 50p from £13 to £13.50. The Band 2 course of treatment in England rose by 80p from £50.50 to £51.30 while those in Wales will see a hike of £1 fro...

Various security measures are used to protect the US President when he travels : a rocket-grenade launching limo, hundreds of Secret Service staff - and perhaps even a body double. When Barack Obama rolled into town for the G20 summit in Australia , it seems his lookalike wasn't far away. As the President was driven through the streets of Brisbane in his heavily guarded limousine dubbed The Beast, a "decoy" Barack Obama was snapped by a local newspaper photographer - apparently in a decoy Beast. The unnamed possible Obama lookalike even did the obligatory wave for the cheering crowd, the Courier-Mail reported. If this is a presidential decoy, it's not the first time a world leader has had a body double. Former dictator Saddam Hussein apparently had multiple lookalikes during his time as head of Iraq and it has been claimed Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had up to six. The leader of the free world and his decoy are photographed in separate Beasts as t...

Drivers 'not adequately warned' over end of tax discs Government faces criticism for leaving motorists confused and at risk of fines Thousands of United Kingdom drivers are at risk of fines because they have had insufficient warning about the abolition of tax discs by the Government, motoring experts said last night. Paper discs on car windscreens are due to vanish from October 1, and will be replaced by electronic records that will use police cameras to check number plates to catch owners who have not paid. A survey published yesterday found fewer than half of drivers are aware of the changes, which prevent the discs being passed to new owners when cars are sold. Nearly three million used cars change hands each year and drivers who inadvertently flout the new rules face fines of up to £1,000. Motoring organisations said the Government had failed to provide enough information on the reforms, causing confusion among motorists and car dealers. Tim Marriott, a spokesman for ...

Kenya warns her citizen against travel through London's Heathrow Airport. Kenya has issued travel advisory to her citizens travelling through Heathrow Airport after US officials said Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen and Syria were developing sophisticated bombs that could bring down a plane. The information states that Britain would be the most likely country to be affected. "Based on this information, Kenyans are advised NOT to travel through London Heathrow where there is substantial threat of a possible attack. Kenyans are therefore advised to seek alternative travel routes to connect to the United States and European countries. These include Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Amsterdam and Addis Ababa in order to minimize the risk and avoid possible delays," said Foreign Affairs PS Karanja Kibicho in a statement. Britain has stepped up security at airports after U.S. officials said they were concerned that al Qaeda operatives in Syria and Yemen were developing b...