Stop Press

[Helig]

It seems to be tantamount to theft which is allowed to happen by the authorities. I remember when I worked in Birkenhead there was a petrol station and garage on the outskirts which was named Petrol Services 2022 Ltd (for example). Petrol Services 2021 Ltd and earlier years companies having gone into liquidation. They liquidated one company every year to eighteen months. Another one would be set up immediately to trade in the exact same way. They invariably had a year in the name of the company, all previous years having been liquidated. This set up had continued for at least 20 years. Some attempts were made to stop it but had little effect. The legislation is in place to tackle this now but for reasons unknown, is rarely enforced. I have often wondered how suppliers continue to trade with this type of outfit as they lose money if they are creditors. Why would any concern want to put up with this on a regular basis?

[Hugo]

Body found in search for missing walker with dog alive by her side
Ausra Plungiene went missing on Tuesday after heading out for a walk


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65249901

[SteveH]

Public emergency message released ahead of UK test

Further details have been released about the alert that will be sent to smartphones across the UK next week, to test a new public warning system.

A message with a siren at 15:00 BST on 23 April will say "in a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe".

It will give a sound and vibration for 10 seconds even for phones on silent.

Phone users will have to acknowledge the alert before they can continue using their devices.

The alert system will be used to warn of extreme weather events, such as flash floods or wildfires. It could also be used during terror incidents or civil defence emergencies if the UK was under attack.

It is being sent to 4G and 5G mobile phones.

The full message will read: "This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby.

"In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe."

"Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information.

"This is a test. You do not need to take any action."

Drivers are being advised not to look at or touch their phone until it is safe to do so, just as when receiving calls or messages.

"Getting this system operational means we have a vital tool to keep the public safe in life-threatening emergencies," said Oliver Dowden, the minister in charge of the system.

"It could be the sound that saves your life," he said.

Alex Woodman, from the National Fire Chiefs' Council, called on the general public to "play their part" in helping to keep people safe.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65290166

[SteveH]

Update on above

Five Emergency Alert myths debunked by fact checkers
An emergency alert is set to be sent to mobile devices on Sunday. But some misinformation about it has spread online

On Sunday, April 23, the government is set to send an emergency alert out to mobile devices up and down the country. The nationwide test will say how it plans to keep families informed in the event of an actual real-life emergency, such as severe flooding, extreme weather, or fires.

A siren is set to sound and devices will vibrate once the government hits send. Your device may even read out the alert, which is set to last a maximum of 10 seconds.

Since the alert was announced, people have been split by its usefulness, with some politicians leading the charge to encourage phone users to turn them off. Fact checkers say there has also been misinformation spread about the alert.

read more  https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/five-emergency-alert-myths-debunked-26729152?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

Another article on the ALERT

Emergency alert could be sound that saves your life , says deputy PM

An emergency alert being tested later could be the sound that "saves your life", the UK's deputy prime minister has said.

People across the UK will hear a loud alarm on their phones for about 10 seconds on Sunday at 15:00 BST.

Oliver Dowden said no action from the public will be needed, although some sporting events and theatre shows will be paused during the test event.

The new system will be used in cases of flooding, wildfires or terror attacks.

Mr Dowden reassured people they should not be concerned and will be able to "keep calm and carry on" with their day after getting the test alert on their 4G and 5G devices.

He said: "The government's number one job is to keep people safe and this is another tool in the toolkit for emergency situations, such as flooding or wildfires, and where there is a genuine risk to life.

"So it really is the sound that could save your life.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65360576

[SteveH]

North Wales beach warning as dog chokes on own blood after ?scary? fish sting
A poisonous weever fish was spotted at an Anglesey beach last week

A nasty encounter with a weever fish plunged a dog into a world of pain on a late-evening beach walk on Anglesey. Thornton, a 13-year-old chocolate labrador cross, was one minute happily trotting along Treath Penrhos, and was whining in agony the next.

Pawing at his muzzle, he began eating sand to ease the pain. As sand congealed with the blood pouring from his mouth, his condition quickly became critical.

Already this year, weever fishes have been spotted on beaches in North Wales. They are small ? around 8cm long ? but they can deliver intense pain. Each summer, they claim a handful of victims and while coastguards say they are ?nothing to be alarmed about?, beachgoers are being advised to wear some type of footwear.

cont video https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-beach-warning-dog-27042126

[SteveH]

The Red Arrows are due to take off from RAF Valley at 10.30am this morning as they begin their return journey to RAF Waddington.

https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23577934.pictures-red-arrows-make-return-north-wales/?ref=rss&IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

Time is running out for people to use any standard non-barcoded stamps as Monday is the last day they can be used to post items.

After Monday, customers sending mail with these stamps risk the recipient being given a surcharge of ?1.10.

However, commemorative and non-barcoded Christmas stamps will still be valid.

People can swap their old stamps for barcoded stamps through Royal Mail's Swap Out scheme, where there is no deadline for exchange.

Royal Mail said: "A leaflet with a form [for the Swap Out scheme] was delivered to every household recently, but customers can also print out a form from our website; call our Customer Experience team to order one; or pick one up at a local Royal Mail delivery office or Post Office."

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66335213

[SteveH]

Check your change for 50p King Charles III coin as it enters circulation this week
Royal Mint reckons the five million new coins from this year will become collectors' items

[SteveH]

Clwyd West MS Darren Millar is encouraging groups in Conwy county to take advantage of new funding which is available thanks to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

This Prospectus provides information to local authorities and other partners across the United Kingdom on:..........

cont https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

[SteveH]

A PUBLIC consultation has opened to get the public?s views on extending and varying the Dog Control PSPO currently in place across the county.

The current proposal, introduced in 2020, sets rules for dog owners and limits the prohibition of dogs in public spaces, in an effort to tackle irresponsible dog ownership.

The order was subject to two public consultations which showed there was strong public support for the proposals and the order was introduced making it an offence to:

Fail to remove dog faeces immediately
Fail to carry an appropriate means to pick up
Permit a dog to enter land from which dogs are excluded year round
Permit a dog to enter land from which dogs are excluded seasonally
Not keep a dog on a lead in a designated area
Not put, and keep, a dog on a lead when directed to do so by an authorised officer

Full report cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23772683.consultation-opens-extension-conwy-dog-control-order/

[SteveH]

Update

Anger over plans to ban dogs from huge stretch of beach in North Wales
The plans, currently being consulted on, have been branded 'draconian'

A council wants to ban dogs from a long stretch of beach in North Wales. Conwy Council is consulting on plans to ban dogs from a stretch of beach between Colwyn Bay and Rhos-on-Sea.

A current Dog Control Public Spaces Protection Order for the county expires next month, and council bosses are now looking to extend it for the next three years. They also want to add three new areas - the dry beach between Colwyn Bay and Rhos-on-Sea, Rhos Point to the Promenade Access Point in line with College Avenue and Penmachno Playing Field.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/anger-over-plans-ban-dogs-27671031

[SteveH]

With October almost over, the days are getting shorter and shorter and winter is fast approaching.
To make up for the shortening days, the clocks will go back across the UK to give us an extra hour of much needed sunlight as we approach the darker months.

Here is everything you need to know about clock changes in the UK this year.

In autumn the clocks will go back at 2.00am on the final Sunday of October, which this year falls on Sunday, October 29.

It means an extra hour in bed for your Sunday lie-in and will give an extra hour of daylight as the darker nights roll in.

Do I need to change the clocks myself?
In the majority of cases, the days of manually changing your clocks are long gone.

Any device connected to the internet such as smartphones, televisions, laptops and tablets will change automatically.

However - be careful - alarm clocks, car radios and other devices not connected to the internet will need to be adjusted manually.

Why do we change the clocks?
The principal reason we change the clocks is to get the most out of the daylight.

The first clock change was introduced by the German government in 1916 during the first world war as a means of saving energy - the longer the daylight hours lasted, the less electricity required.

Many European governments followed suit, including Britain, and so was born BST, with the current system in place since 1971.

[SteveH]

North Sea search abandoned for four missing on British ship Verity

German rescuers have called off a search for four crew missing from a British ship that sank in the North Sea early on Tuesday morning.

The Verity collided with a larger ship, the Bahamian Polesie, off the German coast.

Rescue efforts were suspended on Tuesday night and would not be resumed, the rescue service said.

Two of the seven crew members on board the British-flagged ship were rescued.

The body of another member was found in the water, about 22km (13 miles) south-west of Heligoland, a German archipelago which is part of the state of Schleswig-Holstein.

The Verity was on its way to the UK, carrying steel from the northern German city of Bremen to Immingham in Lincolnshire, when it collided at about 05:00 (03:00 GMT) on Tuesday with the Polesie, which had left Hamburg for La Coru?a in Spain.

None of the 22 crew on the Polesie was hurt. The cause of the collision is still unclear.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67204041

[Hugo]

North Wales: Four injured in dangerous dog attackFour people have been injured, two badly, following a dog attack.
North Wales Police went to an address in the Rhoshirwaun area of the Llŷn peninsula on Friday morning, after reports of a dangerous dog.
Two people were airlifted to hospital with serious injuries, and another two had minor injuries.
The dog involved was destroyed, and is yet to be examined to establish the breed. A total of 37 dogs and a number of cats were seized from the address.
Police remained in the area on Saturday while inquiries continue.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-67464124