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BIRD'S EYE VIEW
Page 52
Page 53
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BY THE HAWK
• Kidd's Services, the international removals company, provided eight trucks for its local Lions Carnival at North Wolds. They included this fine maximum-wheelbase Leyland Daf 1900 fitted with a 64.40 Marsden Vanplan removals body.
Two of the company's vehicles were exhibited on Kidd's own stand, but the remaining trucks were loaned free to local charities for use as floats. The loan was in keeping with the company's "Kidds in the Community" policy and follows a similar exercise two months ago at the local Homes and Hobby exhibition.
Managing director Trevor Kidd says that the dummy standing in front of the Daf was loaned to Kidds by a competitor, Robert Dorval], the international removal contractors based in Reading, following a chance remark at this year's British Association of Removers conference.
The Hawk applauds such cooperation between competitors for charitable purposes — such moves can do the industry, and the Lions charity (which raised some £3,000 at the event) nothing but good.
• Westminster Council has introduced a Potfine. Ratepayers can call a special telephone number to report potholes in the borough's 3401un of roads.
Apparently, Westminster fills 30,000 potholes each year (one hole every 1.1m). Holes coordinator Dave Richards is aided by 10 council clerks, who are charged with looking into the potholes on the borough's roads.
Richards tries to photograph every pothole for the council's files and tries to track down those responsible — often utilities, or companies like British Telecom or Mercury Communications, reports project leader Dick Bingham. If the council successfully identifies the culprit a bill is immediately despatched for the cost of the repairs.
The pothole patrol costs £2,000 a week to operate, but Westminster Council says it will more than pay for itself.
• Over 41,000 motorists were charged with murder, drug-trafficking, pimping or mugging in Paris last week.
This shocking crime-wave originated in a sneaky court computer which changed letters of final warning over unpaid driving fines into the major offences. Thousands of Parisians inundated the Paris police, who apologised, but did not go as far as to let them off their fines.
/ Knowsley Transport Training sent the Hawk this photograph of the Department of Transport's latest roadsign. The modular design allows further small signs to be added, presumably in case of a population explosion. • Most traffic accidents happen in fine weather, with good visibility, on dry roads according to a survey by Jardine Insurance Brokers.
Almost 80% of the accidents occur in good weather conditions, with November the most dangerous month, when over 9% of incidents were recorded. Possibly we should hope for a bleak winter.
• Sir Angus Ogilvy, husband of Princess Alexandra, drove his Volvo to a service station at Wilford, Nottingham and filled the tank with diesel. It was a petrol car. He said afterwards: "The young man at the garage was very kind and I had a nice cup of coffee with him while the man from the AA drained the tank."
• Fire-eater Arthur Oates of Dartford was banned from driving for three years for a drinkdriving offence on the way home from his performance last week.
He was found to have 103mg of alcohol per 100m1 of breath. Could it be that he did not inhale the usual lighter fuel, but a more palatable liquid? • General haulier John Kendall and his wife have launched an "off-road" driving course at Killearn in Stirlingshire.
A Range Rover or Land Rover is used, fully equipped with fire extinguishers, roll bars and winches. The £65-aday course for a party of three includes lunch, tuition and insurance.
For those less sure of their abilities an additional personal accident insurance cover can be arranged at £50.
• During the year-long refurbishment of Tory Party headquarters at 32 Smith Square, a total of 2,000 crates will be supplied by container-hire specialist Rentacrate. Rentacrate's crates are normally orange, but• this was deemed more appropriate for the Democrats, so special blue ones have now been produced. . .