OUR 'Worlds Worst' QUIZ IS BACK

JUST when you thought it safe to return to your local pub, our Editor Patrick and a mad Australian are to restart the "Worlds Worst Pub Quiz". After a year of requests to bring it back, we have agreed... So we will be invading Sunday evenings with a very unusual quiz followed by DJ music. The first quiz will take place on 5 July 2009 at the Wellington Pub on East Bank Street, Southport. More in next weeks issue...

Letters To The Editor:- "Broadband Tax"

LAST week we reported about the 'Next Generation Fund', in effect and in their own words “a Tax”. We where interested just how many people had the same views on this topic…. This is just a sample of what you the public told us:-

“Is it just me, but have we gone mad in the UK?” Andy Johnson, Formby

"Why? This is yet again, another Stealth Tax, when is this country ever going to say to Gordon Brown - STOP? Like many Brits I am looking to leave this country." Mark Lee, Warrington

"How the hell am I meant to survive? I have just been made redundant and I find the only good way to apply for jobs is to go online. Even your The Tax Credit Office wants you to go online when you do work! This is a tax on a vital part of your life!" Morgan Herandez, London

"It is a new form of Window Tax! Gordon, when will you run out of things to tax us on! This Government has completely lost the plot and in particular Mr Brown." Natasha from Liverpool South.

"The cost should be met by the ISP and not us. BT in 2008-09 made a profit last year, why can't the ISP's re-invest? See net4now.com/?p=2087" Jill Sullivan from Pontefract, Wales.

"Now I know what MP's like Duck houses... They have all gone quakers!" Aidan Miller from Aberdeen, Scotland.

"Hells bells, ok £18 isn't going to break the bank on its own, but it is wrong. We get milked to the last pound by our tax system anyway, so in the words of Tosco, "every little helps!" We are struggling to survive, with redundancies, threat to salaries, increasing prices, interest rates and more and more taxes.  Enough is enough." Dale Robinson

"Only the rich use the web, don't they? This is total daylight robbery and yet another blatant stealth tax from the government." Sophie from Southport.

"This unelected prime minister and other unelected cronies are absolutely disgusting. Soon you'll be getting taxed on being taxed... How I love to live in England... NOT!!!" Gemma Murphy, West Derby.

"Any guesses how the BMP got in Gordon?" Bethany - Formby

"I maybe missing the point, but at present the government wants to provide every house with a phone line for ADSL? Will they pay for the lines?" Chelsea Smith, Birkdale

"I know why this has happened... Don't MP's live in the country side? Is that why they have thought up this nice new tax idea? How about getting all the money back from the fake expenses scam and using that towards broadband in rural areas!!!" Ian Brown - Churchtown

"Why, Why, Why, Gordon? Do you want to win the next election? Thank God I have just moved away from the UK!" Ellie Davis, The Finger Lakes Region, West/Central New York State, USA

To read our report from last week click on here.

Man fined after verbally abusing hospital staff

A 24 year old man was given a fixed penalty fine by Merseyside Police after being arrested for verbally abusing staff and patients in the Accident & Emergency Department at Southport hospital last week.

He had attended the Department in the early hours of Sunday 7 June and was continuously extremely abusive to the staff using totally inappropriate language and threatening towards other patients and visitors.

The Police were contacted and they arrested the man on arrival at the A&E Department. He was subsequently issued with a fixed penalty fine.

Alan Lee, Risk Manager at Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust said:- "We have a zero tolerance towards both physical and verbal abuse of our staff. They are here to help people in their hour of need, not to be a victim of such an attack. We hope this action by Merseyside Police reinforces the message that such behaviour will not be tolerated in our hospitals. We can only apologise to the other patients and visitors present in the A&E Department at the time for any inconvenience and thank them for their co-operation."

Detective Chief Inspector Nikki Holland added:- "Merseyside Police will not tolerate anti-social behaviour in hospitals and people who are verbally or physically abusive to staff and patients should expect to be dealt with appropriately."

Follow up to our "Do not risk it... Do not cross!" report

LAST week we ran a report with photos taken by our editor Patrick Trollope showing a man walking over a level crossing, just seconds after a train came passed.   At the time we passed the pictures on to the Network Rail and the Police. The British Transport Police added this week that:- "The Southport area has been highlighted as one of the worst places on the Merseyrail network for this type of thing and Network Rail’s dedicated community safety team have been informed." Also we have been informed by Network Rail that Ainsdale is one of the main crossings for the focus of a new international awareness drive, due to the numerous recorded instances of vehicle and pedestrian misuse. Wayne Menzies, Network Rail’s area manager Merseyside, warned of the consequences of misusing the level crossing:- “The crossing has full barriers that come down right across the road, but they come down in such a way that vehicles and pedestrians part way across don’t get trapped – that is part of the safety system. But it also means that there is the opportunity for impatient people to weave round the barriers. Even when they are fully down we get pedestrians, both young and old, vaulting the barriers simply because they want to save a few seconds.” Users of Formby-Reporter.com 's news email service on 25 June 2009, will be able to read about the new awareness events that will be taking place through out the UK and across Europe, called ‘Don’t Run the Risk’. In all, 23 countries will be taking part in this safety drive. If you do not get the email service, do not worry as a report will be added in next weeks issue of Southport Reporter as well.

Facts about level crossings:-

► Level crossings are safe if used correctly

► 95% of accidents at level crossings are caused by misuse or error– i.e. drivers ignoring red signals, barriers and
klaxons

► There are over 7,600 level crossings both on public and private land that cut across the UK railway network.