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LANDLORDS GIVEN
NEW RULES TO COMBAT LEGIONNAIRES' DISEASE
LOCAL landlords are being
urged to carry out an assessment on their properties; to help
control the threat of Legionnaires' disease.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is directing residential
property landlords, or their managing agents, to comply with a
recently revised Approved Code of Practice; "Legionnaires'
disease: the control of legionella bacteria in water systems."
Legionella are bacteria common in artificial water systems such as
storage tanks, pipework, taps and showers. People can catch the
disease if they inhale into their lungs, tiny water or vapour
droplets carrying the bacteria. Illness starts with flu-like
symptoms, but can develop into lung infections or pneumonia, which
can prove fatal in 1 in 10 patients.
"The new guidance underlines new legal requirements for
landlords or their agents to ensure the risk from legionella; in
all forms of water systems found in residential rented premises; is
fully risk assessed and controlled. Landlords and
property management or lettings agents must identify and assess
potential sources of exposure and take steps to prevent and control
such risks; keeping detailed records of their findings and
recommendations for at least 5 years." says Dorian Gonsalves,
Chief Executive Officer of the country's leading residential
lettings specialist Belvoir, which has 6 offices on Merseyside.
Whilst legionella bacteria are usually associated with larger water
systems, such as cooling towers in commercial buildings and
hospitals, they can thrive and multiply in hot or cold water systems
and storage tanks in flats and houses, and can be spread through the
property by showers and taps.
Paul Rice who owns the Belvoir office on Cheapside in Liverpool,
adds:- "There is now a need to check and inspect properties
which may have a water supply with temperatures between 20C and 45C
since plumbing systems need to run at 60C to kill off the bacteria.
Particular attention should be paid to water storage and header
tanks, thermostatic mixing valves and to the potential for any
build-up of debris, such as sludge, in a system. A risk is also
posed if water could become stagnant in an under used area of the
property; for example taps, showers or washing machine pipes."
Whilst the chance of legionella occurring in residential properties
is minimal, the HSE says that recent research shows that it can be
found in smaller domestic systems; hence the need for new
legislation.
"All Belvoir offices throughout the UK have been given advice
on potential problems caused by Legionella bacteria and we shall be
providing our local landlord clients with the relevant guidance.
Different properties will require differing
approaches; for example a new build property with a combi-boiler
will present far less risk than a Victorian terrace with an old
water system." added Martin Unsworth who owns the Belvoir office on Sandown Lane in
Wavertree.
There are a number of steps that can be taken, from disinfection of
a system to insulation of pipework. "Our main concern is
to provide advice on this new Approved Code of Practice, so that
landlords can understand their obligations and help protect the
safety of their tenant, in particular those who may be elderly or
vulnerable."
Newsagent sold illegal cigarettes
A newsagent has been fined
for selling cigarettes which did not carry health warnings. Jamal
Rashid, of Holt Road, Liverpool, was sentenced in his absence at
Liverpool Magistrates Court on 8 counts of supplying or offering to
supply cigarettes which did not bear health warnings.
The court was told that a test purchase of a packet of Jin Ling
cigarettes from the shop in Holt Road was made by an officer of
Liverpool Trading Standards Alcohol and Tobacco Unit. The cigarettes
were retrieved from below the counter and carried no health
warnings. Officers from the Unit then searched the shop and found 62
packets of illicit cigarettes, including Jin Ling, Marlboro Gold and
L & M Red hidden under the shop counter. A 2nd search of the shop
found a further 27 packets of cigarettes. When interviewed Mr Rashid
said that he knew they were illegal which was why they were hidden
and knew it was an offence to sell cigarettes without a health
warning in English. The cigarettes have been imported into the UK
without duty being paid. District Judge Miriam Shelvey fined Mr
Rashid £250 on each of the 8 counts and awarded the City Council,
£623 costs. All the cigarettes were forfeited for destruction.
Councillor Tim Moore, city council cabinet member, said:-
"Illegal cigarettes undermine the local economy and their sale can
put honest traders out of business. They often contain contaminates
such as rat droppings. Trading Standards' Alcohol and Tobacco Unit
work hard to stamp out this trade and those who are involved in it
should take heed of this prosecution."
Judges key to
delivering faster family justice, says Law Society
THE Society has responded
to a report by Mr Justice Ryder, the judge in charge of preparing a
judicial response to the Family Justice Review, which was published
last November (2011). Commenting on the report, Law Society
President Lucy Scott-Moncrieff said:- "Effective
case-management is vital to reducing delays in the family courts.
Judicial continuity, specialisation and leadership are all essential
to good case-management. Fast-tracking' child care cases will help
identify those cases which can be finished within the government's
proposed 26 week time limit. Delays also need to be reduced in cases
where separating and divorcing couples are seeking the court's help
in making arrangements for their children. However, achieving these
aims without additional resources will be a challenge. The rise in
numbers of unrepresented participants following the cuts to legal
aid will put enormous pressure on the courts and the family justice
system as a whole. There is an immediate challenge to develop
effective methods of assisting parents without legal representation
in private law cases."
Market
trader had phoney phone covers
A market trader who had
fake phone covers for sale on his stall has been sentenced at
Liverpool Magistrates' Court. Sajjad Amin, of Broomhurst
Avenue, Oldham, pleaded guilty to 4 counts of possession to supply
counterfeit goods.
The court heard that Trading
Standards offices carried out an anti-counterfeiting operation in St
John's Market Liverpool In December during which they found a number
of counterfeit phone covers on Mr Amin's stall. The following
day another anti-counterfeiting operation was carried out at the
market and again his stall had counterfeit phone covers and also
lanyards.
District Judge Miriam Shelvey sentenced Mr Amin to 120 hours unpaid
work and ordered him to pay costs of £250.
Councillor Tim Moore, city council cabinet member, said:-
"Counterfeit goods not only undermine the legal economy, but often
the money generated goes to organised crime. Liverpool Trading
Standards are renowned for their work in tackling this problem and
this prosecution sends a message that we will not tolerate the sale
of fake goods." |
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WORLD RENOWNED
PERCUSSIONIST DAME EVELYN GLENNIE RETURNS TO LIVERPOOL AFTER OLYMPIC
OPENING CEREMONY TRIUMPH
A decade since her last
performance in Liverpool and fresh from playing at the London 2012
Olympics Opening Ceremony, world renowned percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie returns to the city's Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on
Saturday, 18 August 2012, as part of DaDaFest 2012, the world's longest
running festival of Disability and Deaf Arts. DaDaFest organisers
are now pleased to announce that some renowned young Liverpool
musicians will join the line up at this event, performing as a warm
up for Evelyn Glennie.
Liverpool's Pagoda Chinese Youth Orchestra will perform The Jasmine
Flower; a new 10 minute work. Liverpool Signing Choir and the
Shanghai Deaf School will perform in conjunction with this
production, originally inspired by a collaboration with creatively
adventurous music-maker and master of the cross-cultural
collaboration Jah Wobble back in 2008.
Founded almost a quarter of a century ago by one of mainland China's
most renowned musicians and composers, Li Kiu Hsiung, Pagoda Chinese
Youth Orchestra was the first Chinese youth orchestra of its kind in
Europe and remains the largest to this day, with few rivals. The
20 strong orchestra has won a string of awards and performed at
London's Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall, as well as making
numerous television appearances, including Blue Peter. It was also a
cornerstone of Liverpool's European Capital of Culture bid for 2008
and played a large part in the celebrations. Ranging from just 4 to
24 years of age, members of the orchestra include locally born
Chinese children, as well as recent arrivals from China and others
from Taiwan, Singapore, Laos, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Liverpool Signing Choir brings together children from schools in the
area. It is made up of around 100 young people aged from 6 to 24,
with a mixture of deaf and hearing members. Following Evelyn
Glennie's performance at the Olympic Opening Ceremony, Liverpool
Signing Choir are delighted to be performing at the Closing
Ceremony, showcasing their talents to the world.
Evelyn Glennie's performance will include a number of contemporary
and classical music works for percussion including 'Clapping
Music'
by Steve Reich, 'Rhythmic Caprice' by Leigh Howard Stevens and her
own arrangement of 'Libertango' by Piazolla. In the second part of
the evening, she will give a talk on what being a musician means to
her, how her career as a musician has developed and how she learned
to feel sound in order to become a professional musician, followed
by a question and answer session.
Evelyn Glennie is the first person in musical history to
successfully create and sustain a full-time career as a solo
percussionist. As one of the most eclectic and innovative musicians
on the scene today she is constantly redefining the goals and
expectations of percussion by creating performances of such vitality
they almost constitute a new type of performance. The Grammy-winning
percussionist and composer became almost completely deaf by the age
of 12, but her hearing loss brought her a deeper understanding of
and connection to the music she loves. She's the subject of the
documentary Touch the Sound, which explores this unconventional and
intriguing approach to percussion.
Glennie's music challenges the listener to ask where music comes
from: Is it more than simply a translation from score to instrument
to audience? How can a musician who has almost no hearing play with
such sensitivity and compassion?
Evelyn said:- "I am looking forward to performing as part of
this year's DaDaFest and believe that it is an exciting
organisation, which is doing such a good job in pushing the
boundaries of Disability and Deaf Arts, giving so many opportunities
to deaf and disabled artists. I am excited about the prospect of
performing again at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool, sharing my
music and thoughts with the people of this wonderful and vibrant
city."
Ruth Gould, CEO of DaDaFest said:- "I am delighted to bring
Evelyn Glennie back to Liverpool as part of DaDaFest 2012 as one of
our headline artists. She is both an inspiration and a pioneer in
the fields of music and Deaf Arts, bringing classical and
contemporary percussion and deaf culture into the mainstream.
Evelyn's career has broken new ground in terms of how disabled and
deaf people are perceived as leaders in the arts. Sometimes living
with impairments can create new and vibrant methods of creating
work, in Evelyn's case music, which leads to a greater appreciation
of how we as Disabled/ Deaf people contribute to new arts
experiences."
Michael Eakin, Chief Executive of Liverpool Philharmonic said:-
"We are delighted to be working with DaDaFest for the first time
this year as a host venue. The festival has become an important part
of Liverpool's arts calendar, attracting international artists as
seen in the return of an artist of the calibre of Evelyn Glennie to
the city for the first time in a decade. Liverpool Philharmonic last
worked with Evelyn in 2002 when she gave the world premiere
performance with the Orchestra of Ignition, a percussion concerto
written especially for her by David Horne, our composer-in-residence
at the time. We are looking forward to welcoming her back for what
will undoubtedly be an inspiring solo recital and talk."
You can view Evelyn Glennie's TED Talk on how to listen by clicking
here.
"Evelyn Glennie is simply a phenomenon of a performer."
New York Times
DaDaFest 2012, the biggest, most comprehensive and challenging
festival of Disability & Deaf Arts in the world, takes place in
Liverpool from Friday, 13 July 2012 to Sunday, 2 September 2012,
with the majority of live events concentrated in the last 2 weeks of August. Events
range from 'Niet Normaal, Difference On Display', a major
international visual arts exhibition, which is also part of the
London 2012 Festival, to cutting-edge comedy, deaf culture events
and performances by leading international musicians, in a programme
that will both entertain and present art forms from different
cultural perspectives. The Festival's theme, TransActions - Fluid
Bodies:- Shifting Identities, will look at how disability affects us
all, examining exchanges that occur between people and technology,
and how a sense of identity is bound up with our changing bodies.
For more information go to:-
dadafest.co.uk search for
DaDaFest on Facebook or follow @DaDaFest on Twitter.
PERFORMANCE DETAILS:-
Date and Time:- Saturday, 18 August 2012 from 7.30pm
Tickets:- £20 to £27.50
How to Book:- You can book in person at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall,
Hope Street, Liverpool. Alternatively you can call:- 0151 709 3789
or click
here. |
