Author Topic: Stop Press  (Read 573234 times)

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Offline SteveH

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1215 on: May 26, 2015, 05:58:22 pm »
An earthquake hit North Wales this afternoon.

Seismologists from the British Geological Survey (BGS) said the epicentre of the magnitude three tremor was Caernarfon.
But the force of the quake was felt in nearby Llanberis and Penygroes, parts of Anglesey and even as far away as Llangollen.
The BGS says it is continuing to investigate the tremor.
In a tweet posted earlier today, the BGS tweeted: “Our seismologists are looking at reports of an earthquake felt on Anglesey.”
Residents have taken to Twitter to report the earth shaking earlier this afternoon.
Sue Hall tweeted: “Shaken but not stirred... earthquake or sonic boom felt like something large had hit the house! #Anglesey.”
Janet Edent added: “Just felt house shaking explosion/earthquake at 4.41pm here in Southern Anglesey. Neighbours outside wondering!??”

There are no reports of any structural damage so far.          refDP.

Offline Fester

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1216 on: May 26, 2015, 11:52:37 pm »
This is strange, and maybe a coincidence, but I was at home on the Gt Orme between 2pm and 4pm today, and whilst I was doing some work I felt and heard a strange thud.
It might have been a car door being slammed,  and I can't even swear that it was 3.43pm,, but I remember thinking at that moment...  Uh ho, that was odd,  it felt like a mini Earth tremor.

Then I saw this news report tonight on this Forum, and it made me wonder....  ?{}?
Fester...
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Offline wrex

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1217 on: May 27, 2015, 07:15:32 am »
Were you drinking at the time.
 8)

Offline Ian

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1218 on: May 27, 2015, 08:50:37 am »
What's interesting is that the tremor was about the same magnitude as the Kent one, roughly a week ago.  They had number one spot on the BBC news and even had callers being interviewed. But then - that was the South East...
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

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Offline Michael

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1219 on: May 27, 2015, 08:05:16 pm »
   A resident of Llwynon Road hears a strange thud and thinks "earth tremor ".   Thats unusual. In these circumstances most of the residents react something in the lines of "Its that bloody golf course again up to some mischief"

Offline SteveH

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1220 on: May 27, 2015, 08:37:15 pm »
I was thinking back to the 1984 earthquake, living in Rhos at that time, I thought the idiots had pressed the "button"

Looking for info. on that event, I was surprised to find North Wales is considered the UKs hotspot.
From 2 years ago....
http://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/may/29/llyn-peninsula-uk-earthquake-hotspot

Offline SteveH

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1221 on: May 28, 2015, 11:54:57 am »
Tom Davidson @DPTomDavidson  ·  3h 3 hours ago
Tom Davidson retweeted Red Ten
I've heard a rumour they (Red Arrows) may well be seen in the sky at 2.30pm.... #Anglesey  area Tom Davidson added,

Red Ten @RAFRed10
These wee beauties all lined up, ready for a day trip to the Isle of Anglesey. Arrive at RAF Valley at midday

Offline SteveH

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1222 on: May 28, 2015, 01:04:58 pm »
I was thinking back to the 1984 earthquake, living in Rhos at that time, I thought the idiots had pressed the "button"
Looking for info. on that event, I was surprised to find North Wales is considered the UKs hotspot.
From 2 years ago....
http://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/may/29/llyn-peninsula-uk-earthquake-hotspot

The figures emerged in the wake of a 4.2 magnitude quake that shook homes in Kent in the early hours of last Friday.
In Wales there have been more than 153 smaller recorded earthquakes since the turn of the century.
Gwynedd leads the way with 36, while Powys comes second with 22.
But the most powerful quake was felt in Conwy on Valentine’s Day 2005, measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale – the 14th most powerful quake to have been felt on mainland Britain over the past 15 years.

Dr Graham Bird, a Bangor University senior lecturer in physical geography, said north west Wales is prone to earthquakes because it lies on the Llyn-Menai Strait fault zone.
Earthquakes may happen because there is movement in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge tectonic plate and also because ice from 20,000 years ago has retreated and the earth is regaining its “shape”.

He said: “We don’t really know if there’s a specific reason for earthquakes but one thing that could play a part is much of Wales and northern England were covered in ice 20,000 years ago and the ice has melted.
“Taking the analogy of a sofa cushion, as you get up off a sofa the cushion regains it original shape. In a similar sort of thing, if you remove the hundreds of metres of ice from the bedrock the earth is still slowly regaining its shape.”
Dr Bird added that Wales lies on bedrock, thousands of miles from where tectonic plates rub together, but it can still be affected by small movements.

British Geological Survey figures show that in:
Ceredigion there were two earthquakes since 2000, the highest magnitude being 2 on the Richter scale.
Conwy had seven (highest 3.3)
Denbighshire had threes (1.4)
Flintshire had two (1.4)
Gwynedd had 36 (2.7)
Anglesey had 11 (2.2)
Powys had 22 (2.9)
Wrexham had three (2)

Since the turn of the millennium the British Geological Survey has recorded an astonishing 1,161 earthquakes with epicentres on British soil, as well as a further 940 in territory covered by sea.
The most powerful of these mainland quakes was in Staffordshire in 2002 and measured 4.7, placing it at the high end of the “light” earthquake classification.

The recent devastating earthquake in which thousands of people died in Nepal measured 7.8.
Due to the nature of the scale this means that it was approximately 260,000 times more powerful than the one felt in Ramsgate last week

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/gwynedd-hotspot-earthquakes-say-experts-9335533#ICID=FB-DPost-bangor

Offline SteveH

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1223 on: May 28, 2015, 04:51:01 pm »
Tom Davidson @DPTomDavidson  ·  3h 3 hours ago
Tom Davidson retweeted Red Ten
I've heard a rumour they (Red Arrows) may well be seen in the sky at 2.30pm.... #Anglesey  area Tom Davidson added,
Red Ten @RAFRed10
These wee beauties all lined up, ready for a day trip to the Isle of Anglesey. Arrive at RAF Valley at midday
Red Arrows just flown past Llandudno heading along the coast.....very nice .....

Offline Michael

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1224 on: May 28, 2015, 08:46:24 pm »
   I remember the 1984 earthquake well. At the moment it happened I was driving a large coach surrounded by glass on three sides and entering Flint I was surprised that I became aware that people where all pouring out of the local houses and looking around extremely puzzled. I hadn't got a clue what was going on. Coaches bounce around all the time as you were driving.
   It was only the next day when I read the papers I realised what had happened.

Offline DaveR

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1225 on: June 01, 2015, 12:48:22 pm »
Conwy landlord fined for fraudulent mortgage claims rakes in £100k from housing benefit
08:00, 1 JUNE 2015
BY JEZ HEMMING


Mark Thorogood - self-proclaimed "pied piper of Llandudno" - was fined and banned by regulator FSA over knowingly submitting false claims, but he claims he's the real victim

A landlord who was fined £100k after making fraudulent mortgage claims has raked in the same amount in housing benefit from putting tenants in his unregistered properties.

Mark Thorogood - who calls himself the “pied piper of Llandudno” - received £98,369 from Conwy council last year.

That is roughly the same amount as he was fined by the Financial Services Authority when they banned him from being involved in “regulated financial services” in 2010.

The ban was handed down because of false statements of earning being made in order to secure mortgages and a failure to properly monitor his staff at his companies.

He has not registered some of his properties as Houses of Multiple Occupation, which would mean having to go through a “fit and proper person test” - and has not paid the FSA fine, which he claims is “unjust”.

Mr Thorogood, 49, of Beaumaris, claims he has been victimised by Conwy council and that police decided not to pursue the charged levelled by the FSA - now the Financial Conduct Authority.

He claims he has no case to answer. North Wales Police declined to comment on the case, but it is understood that once a case has been dealt with by the FSA and a judgement made, the Crown Prosecution Service would be unlikely to ​pursue​​ a criminal case.

He claims fines imposed on him and clawbacks on housing benefit put him under financial strain and his remaining properties were taken by receivers.

He says he had to sell his cars to pay fines instigated by the council but says his houses were not HMOs so didn’t need to be registered.

“The council has put me out of business,” he said.

In papers from the FSA, detailing the charges against Mr Thorogood as owner of Property Park Mortgages, it is claimed applications were made using bogus figures.

The charges also state a mortgage application in his name showed false statements of earnings and he failed to have adequate systems in place or monitor his staff.

He denies he did anything underhand and says the stress caused him to have a breakdown.

He said: “I was earning the amounts I said I was. I’ve made mistakes but my ambition is to be honest and true.

“I have been victimised. I am an entrepreneur and I will take a few calculated risks.

“I have housed more people than you can imagine. I am the pied piper of Llandudno and I had tenants chasing me asking for somewhere to live.

“I had a million pound turnover with five staff but the regulations are so tight they are making it hard for landlords.”

Mr Thorogood admitted he has not paid the £104,294 fine imposed by the FSA as he believes it is unjust.

A spokesperson for Conwy County Council said: “Licensing houses in multiple occupation is important because it helps to raise standards, thereby protecting both the tenants and the local community.

“The council is committed to raising the standards of HMOs in the area and will prosecute landlords who disregard their responsibilities as this case clearly shows.”

New laws drafted by the Welsh Assembly Government are due to gain assent this year and will tighten the requirements on landlord licensing and registration of properties.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/conwy-landlord-mark-thorogood-fined-9345634

Offline SteveH

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1226 on: June 07, 2015, 04:41:40 pm »
Sad day for North Wales.....

Two men dead after Llanberis waterfall accident
Two men have died following  getting into difficulty while swimming near a waterfall in Llanberis.

The men aged 33 and 21 were part of a group of four who had been swimming at a spot close to the Snowdon Mountain Railway track in the Gwynedd village
The other two men, aged 27 and 25, were taken by ambulance to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor but have since been released.

Emergency services were alerted to the incident at 8.30am this morning and remain at the scene.
North Wales Police released a statement earlier this afternoon confirming that a 33 year-old man had died as a result of the incident and that they were searching for a 21 year-old man who unaccounted for.

A short while later, the police confirmed that they had recovered his body.
I can confirm that a body has been recovered and that a second man, aged 21, has died as a result of the incident.”

Superintendent Alex Gross said: “North Wales Police have been dealing with an incident near a water fall in Llanberis after a multi-agency response was mobilised earlier this morning.
“The incident took place at a water fall near the Snowdon Mountain Railway and involved four men who had been swimming in the area and had got into difficulty. "
“Two other men aged 27 and 25 have received treatment at hospital and have since been released.
“Police were alerted to the incident at 8.30am this morning and a multi agency response was mobilised involving the police water rescue unit, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Welsh Ambulance Service and Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team."  http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/llanberis-men-dead-waterfall-swimming--9405827

Competitor dies during Bala triathlon

An athlete has died after falling ill during an event in Bala police have confirmed.

The Bala Middle Triathlon started in the town at 9.30am this morning and involved a 2,000m lake swim, a 81 kilometre bike ride and a 20K run.
In a statement Inspector Chris Griffiths of North Wales Police said: “Following a sporting event in the Bala area North Wales Police have attended the scene in relation to the death of a cyclist who became ill during the event and has sadly since passed away.
“There are no suspicious circumstances.”
A tweet from British Triathlon said: “Very sorry to confirm Bala Middle Distance event cancelled due to a fatality. No 3rd parties involved. Family information and sincere condolences offered.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/bla-triathlon-death-dies-gwynedd--9406571



Offline SteveH

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1227 on: June 16, 2015, 06:35:40 pm »
Welsh phones pick up Irish network data charges

Mobile users on the north Wales coast have run-up extra charges after their phones connected to Irish networks.
One couple said it can cost £20 more a month when the problem happens at some trouble spots on Anglesey.
Experts warned people to check their phones to avoid racking up roaming costs.
Phone company Vodafone apologised to customers and advised them to change their settings to stop it happening again.
"We can be standing firmly on Welsh land, and yet we're being charged extortionate amounts of money," said Alan Davies, from Llandudno, Conwy county.
He and partner Ruth Miller regularly visit places such as South Stack, near Holyhead at Anglesey.
He told BBC Radio Wales' Jason Mohammad programme his phone picks up an Irish mobile network once or twice a month, but warning text messages do not always come through until later.
A Vodafone spokesman said: "Unfortunately, radio waves do not recognise national borders and we do occasionally see incidents of this nature."
Ann Durrell, from Manchester, was on holiday on Anglesey when she was charged extra.
She said: "I didn't receive any warning that my phone had locked on to an Irish network. I just happened to check my bill when I got home."
Telecoms expert Ernest Doku from uSwitch.com said the problem also happens on the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, and on the south coast of England.
"It happens to all phone networks. Sometimes the local geography can block the UK phone signal," he said.
REFBBC.


Offline SteveH

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1228 on: June 20, 2015, 10:32:27 am »
LUCKY ..... WWW

Red Devils in Airshow mid-air parachute drama
A Red Devil parachutist had a lucky escape when his chute failed to open during an airshow - but a team-mate caught him in mid-air.
The Army freefall parachute display team was performing at the Whitehaven Air Show in Cumbria on Friday night when the parachute failed.
Pictures on social media show the men coming down together and crashing into the harbour waters.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-33209713

Offline Ian

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Re: Stop Press
« Reply #1229 on: June 20, 2015, 05:09:37 pm »
Summer Solstice 2015

Tomorrow sees the longest day of the year, and it has an interesting history. In Wales it's called Gŵyl Ifan, or Gŵyl Ifan Ganol Haf (St John's of Midsummer) to distinguish it from Gŵyl Ifan Ganol Gaeaf (St John's of Midwinter, the feast of John the Evangelist). Large agricultural fairs used to be held, along with significant debauchery, hell-raising and drinking. A bonfire was also lit.

Up to about the 7th C people would arrive at their local church and spend all night in prayer.  Over time this changed to the women spending the night in the church and the men outside spending the night drinking, dancing and having a big bonfire and gradually the women joined them. So no change there, then.

The celebration of Midsummer's Eve (St. John's Eve among Christians) was from Neolithic times a festival of the summer solstice. Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits which were believed to roam freely when the sun was turning southward again. In later years, witches were also thought to be on their way to meetings with other powerful beings.

The solstice itself has been a special moment of the annual cycle of the year since Neolithic times. For obvious reasons, it's really only celebrated in the extreme northerly or southerly hemispheres.

Next year the solstice occurs on June 20th (it moves around) but from Monday onwards the days start to shorten.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.