[David9694]

A new catch-all Tea Shop thread for those miscellaneous new stories that don’t quite fit with parking, crashing into buildings or trapped/prisoners in their homes. 

Topic

[HoarseMann]

“You have to cross a footpath

“You have to cross a footpath, then you get into the cycle lane, and because the road is so busy you have to take a sharp turn not to hit oncoming traffic,” said Alice Reeve.

yes Alice, it’s called “driving carefully”.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8xk25x8vlo

[David9694]

Initially reported as

Initially reported as “vandals” – a spot I know as it’s on one of my circuits and there’s a nice bench 

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24833166.awbridge-war-memorial-left-pieces-smashed/
 

[chrisonabike]

brooksby wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Since Xmas, just in my village there’s a street lamp standing at a very odd angle and wrapped with police incident tape, and someone’s wall (on a bend, coincidentally) also wrapped in tape – the low wall is cracked and at an angle and the fence panel mounted on top of it is leaning backwards rather badly.

Bloody cyclists…

[brooksby]

I presume that’s “Xmas spirit

I presume that’s “Xmas spirit”?

Since Xmas, just in my village there’s a street lamp standing at a very odd angle and wrapped with police incident tape, and someone’s wall (on a bend, coincidentally) also wrapped in tape – the low wall is cracked and at an angle and the fence panel mounted on top of it is leaning backwards rather badly.

[brooksby]

London is Europe’s most

London is Europe’s most congested city, with drivers sat in traffic an average 101 hours last year

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jan/06/london-is-europes-most-congested-city-with-drivers-sat-in-traffic-an-average-101-hours-last-year

Drivers in the capital spent an average 101 hours sitting in traffic last year, a 2% increase from the previous year, according to the transport analytics company Inrix.

…

Bristol and Leeds completed the top three most congested cities in the UK, but were lagging some way behind London with 65 hours of delays and 60 hours respectively.

[Jogle]

War memorial damaged in

[b]War memorial damaged in village collision[/b]

Another war memorial, without hi-viz or a helmet, getting in the way of a hardworking, tax paying, otherwise law-abiding motorist

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c938zv1gxl4o

[David9694]

Braintree assistance dog

Braintree assistance dog ‘scared’ after being hit by car

hit and run on a zebra crossing now assistance dog doesn’t want to go out 

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/24829371.braintree-assistance-dog-scared-hit-car/

[David9694]

brooksby wrote:

David9694 wrote:

Cornwall council are looking to off-load many of their outlying car parks, causing still more wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-news/transport-streets-and-waste/residents-asked-for-views-on-car-park-proposals/

If the Caerhays estate own this land, I don’t really see what the campaign group hope to accomplish here. Surely the position is that the land cannot function as a public car park if they can’t install charging infrastructure. 

Maybe block off all access and return it to nature?

that would be more in keeping with the stated planning objectives 

[Jogle]

hawkinspeter wrote:

David9694 wrote:

Joey Baptiste pleads guilty over Ferrari crash in Norwich

Baptiste, 41, from Catkin Close, Cringleford, had previously denied driving without due care and attention, claiming the car had suffered a “mechanical failure”.

But he changed his plea to guilty yesterday, with his lawyer telling the court the Baptiste had “lost communication” with Mr Mendham (the vehicle’s owner who let JB drive as he was “unwell”) , so the vehicle could not be tested. She said that moments before the crash Baptiste had accidentally hit the accelerator when trying to break [sic].

She added that “witnesses think that he was speeding because the car has a loud engine,” before her client whispered it was a “4.7 V8 litre engine”.

Miss Buck said that Baptiste had received four points on his driving licence for an unrelated speeding incident which happened since the Ferrari crash. The magistrates in Yarmouth indicated they intended to issue him with at least another seven points for the Rose Lane smash.

Before they sentenced him, Miss Buck requested an “exceptional hardship application” be lodged, claiming that Baptiste required his full driving licence to do his job as a ground worker. She added that he has a son who lives in Fakenham and requires his driving licence to pick him up at the weekends.

As he left court after the hearing, Baptiste unleashed an expletive-filled tirade at our reporter, who asked if he wished to comment on the case.

Baptiste said he would throw him and his telephone into the nearby river if he took a photo of him. Court security guards came out of the building to soothe tempers and Baptiste was ushered back into the building by the guards and his solicitor.

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/24831593.joey-baptiste-pleads-guilty-ferrari-crash-norwich/

Sounds like a lovely bloke. I wonder why he didn’t want his photo taken, when it was already published when he was found not guilty of sexual assault and GBH back in July (https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/24474225.joey-baptiste-found-not-guilty-peterborough-crown-court/)

Lovely bloke indeed. He didn’t have his photo taken when he was found guilty of coercively controlling his ex-girlfriend though. https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crime/20638501.man-guilty-causing-ex-severe-psychological-harm-avoids-jail/

[David9694]

It’s really hard to tell fact

It’s really hard to tell fact from fiction with these stories – the people trying to put forward hardship examples all turn out to be nicely off, thank-you when the slightest bit of scrutiny is applied.  They don’t seem very good at it. 

I don’t know what’s behind it, but I’m seeing graphs showing rises in school fees since 2000 way ahead of inflation. 

[hawkinspeter]

David9694 wrote:

Joey Baptiste pleads guilty over Ferrari crash in Norwich

Baptiste, 41, from Catkin Close, Cringleford, had previously denied driving without due care and attention, claiming the car had suffered a “mechanical failure”.

But he changed his plea to guilty yesterday, with his lawyer telling the court the Baptiste had “lost communication” with Mr Mendham (the vehicle’s owner who let JB drive as he was “unwell”) , so the vehicle could not be tested. She said that moments before the crash Baptiste had accidentally hit the accelerator when trying to break [sic].

She added that “witnesses think that he was speeding because the car has a loud engine,” before her client whispered it was a “4.7 V8 litre engine”.

Miss Buck said that Baptiste had received four points on his driving licence for an unrelated speeding incident which happened since the Ferrari crash. The magistrates in Yarmouth indicated they intended to issue him with at least another seven points for the Rose Lane smash.

Before they sentenced him, Miss Buck requested an “exceptional hardship application” be lodged, claiming that Baptiste required his full driving licence to do his job as a ground worker. She added that he has a son who lives in Fakenham and requires his driving licence to pick him up at the weekends.

As he left court after the hearing, Baptiste unleashed an expletive-filled tirade at our reporter, who asked if he wished to comment on the case.

Baptiste said he would throw him and his telephone into the nearby river if he took a photo of him. Court security guards came out of the building to soothe tempers and Baptiste was ushered back into the building by the guards and his solicitor.

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/24831593.joey-baptiste-pleads-guilty-ferrari-crash-norwich/

Sounds like a lovely bloke. I wonder why he didn’t want his photo taken, when it was already published when he was found not guilty of sexual assault and GBH back in July (https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/24474225.joey-baptiste-found-not-guilty-peterborough-crown-court/)

[HoarseMann]

Lots of snow and ice on the

Lots of snow and ice on the roads today – make sure you’ve got the right vehicle for the job if heading out…

[brooksby]

David9694 wrote:

Cornwall council are looking to off-load many of their outlying car parks, causing still more wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-news/transport-streets-and-waste/residents-asked-for-views-on-car-park-proposals/

If the Caerhays estate own this land, I don’t really see what the campaign group hope to accomplish here. Surely the position is that the land cannot function as a public car park if they can’t install charging infrastructure. 

Maybe block off all access and return it to nature?

[David9694]

Cornwall council are looking

Cornwall council are looking to off-load many of their outlying car parks, causing still more wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-news/transport-streets-and-waste/residents-asked-for-views-on-car-park-proposals/

If the Caerhays estate own this land, I don’t really see what the campaign group hope to accomplish here. Surely the position is that the land cannot function as a public car park if they can’t install charging infrastructure. 

[David9694]

Hirsute wrote:

Another telegraph sob story to go with what do I do about my alpine chalets and inheritance tax.

will someone please think of the children 

[Author]

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