News reports located on this page = 2.

Dangerous parking along the Coastal Road

THE Coastal Road is the main transport route connecting for Southport to the Formby Bypass, and on into Liverpool. This road is not only is the surrounded on either side by a highly protected sand dune system, but also it is a very dangerous road, with many major accidents having happened on it, over the years. Recently, we have seen a growing trend of cars parking on the side of the Coastal Road, blocking footpaths and fire gates, as well as even parking on the cycle path. Again on Good Friday, the problem has started up again on the Ainsdale section between the Pontins and the Formby Bypass, next to the speed limit reminder sign, on what is seen locally as a major accident black spot, we have had cars parking on the dune land. We have been contacted by readers numerous times about this issue. The cars parking like this are not only a danger to those in them, but also to those using the Coastal Road and locals say:- "this issue needs to be addressed before a major accident happens." Also the cars parking on the side of the road also course damage to the area. We are asking both the Police and Sefton Council for a comment about this issue. If you see this happening, please do let the Rangers and also the Police know.

Joining forces to save lives

LICENSING Officers with Liverpool City Council could soon become real lifesavers thanks to a new initiative that will see them offer vital 1st Aid in a medical emergency. The team has joined forces with Liverpool based charity The Oliver King Foundation, to equip its fleet of vehicles with state of the art defibrillators. And now the scheme is set to be expanded to also include volunteers from City's Hackney Carriage fleet.

The Licensing Team has a fleet of 5 vehicles which are out and about across the City 24 hours a day. Officers have been given emergency 1st Aid training, which includes full instructions in how to use the lifesaving piece of kit. The defibrillators have been provided in partnership with The Oliver King Foundation.

Foundation founder Mark King has made it his mission to raise awareness about the vital role defibrillators can play following the tragic death of his 12-year old son Oliver. Oliver was taking part in a swimming lesson in 2011 when he went into cardiac arrest. It later transpired that Oliver had an underlying medical condition Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS). Mark believes that the presence of a defibrillator could have made all the difference.

If a defibrillator is used within the 1st minute of collapse, the survival rate can be up to 90%. This reduces by 10% for every passing minute.

The council is already planning to expand the scope of the project to include the City's black cab and private hire vehicles.

Karl Lloyd, who is a training Officer with the City council, explains:- "Equipment like this really can make all the difference in a medical emergency. People are naturally wary about using a defibrillator but the latest versions are fully automated and do all the work for you. We always have 2 people in our licensing vehicles and both will be trained how to use this lifesaving equipment."

Mark King of the Oliver King Foundation said:- "As a father, I was horrified to discover that we lose up to 19 young lives a week through cardiac arrest. We set up the foundation to raise awareness about Oliver's condition and how important defibrillators are. Ultimately we want to see a defibrillator wherever you see a fire extinguisher. I am only a dad, but I am a dad on a mission to stop anyone else going through what my family has gone through. It is initiatives such as this 1 from the City council that will really help. We are proud to support it."

Liverpool City Manager Kevin Johnson said:- "Following our launch with the Oliver King Foundation we put the call out to the City's taxi community to see if we could get people to volunteer to have the training and carry a defibrillator in their vehicles. We are delighted to say that so far we have had more than 10 drivers come forward and express an interest in completing the training and carrying a defibrillator in their cab, which is great news for the campaign and for the people of Liverpool."