Buoyant Commodities Prices are Encouraging Scrap Metal Thefts Across the UK
Bristol July 2010
Yesterday (14th July, 2010) saw a day of action across the UK by Police forces from England, Scotland and Wales as they held a co-ordinated effort to curb the increasing instances of metal thefts. It seems that the problem has risen to such proportions that such action is not only deemed necessary but essential. The effort was controlled by the British Transport Police in response to a massive increase in the frequency and scale of these types of thefts. Many British Rail facilities have suffered major losses leading to train delays and cancellations. Other targets have been hit across the country and local Police forces have been adding their own information to the national operation.
The rise of commodity prices as the global economy starts to return to a bull market has seen the trade price for metals rise in recent months. With huge demand from overseas and in particular China, there appears to be a lucrative opportunity for anyone with scrap metal for sale. This has led some misguided thieves to start to assess their local areas for the easiest and quickest places to steal scrap metal from.
Among the targets hit so far are power and signal cables from the railways, cable ripped from power stations and sub-stations, lead work from buildings – both municipal and private, business premises and homes alike. There have even been instances of road ironwork like manhole covers and drain grills being removed presumably to sell for scrap. The problem is a particular issue for the railways as the theft of signal and power cables has led to cancellations and disruption of services.
The total cost to British business is estimated to be around £750 million per annum. One commentator put the real cost to the railway network at over £1 million pound in terms of disruption, repair and compensation. The Police have been using powers granted them under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act, 1964, to enter scrap yards and inspect materials held and records relating to the point of origin of the scrap they hold.
Many scrap metal dealers are completely unaware of the source of the scrap metal when it is presented at their yards, and for those found to be holding stolen scrap it can leave a big hole in their balance sheets when it is seized for evidence. The scrap metal industry as a whole is co-operating fully with police and most are taking extra steps to be more vigilant.
For the vast majority of vehicle scrapyards this is of less importance as they collect most of their scrap from old vehicles. For those of us with vehicles to scrap; one upside is that as the price of scrap is rising the value of that old and broken transit could very well be worth more than last month. Scrap transit prices along with all scrap van prices need to be checked with your local scrap merchant before you set out to their yard.
The owner of United Vans, Bristol, a vehicle dismantling operation on the outskirts of Bristol, commented today ‘We, in this industry, work very hard to recycle old vehicles in a responsible way. This type of news helps no one, we here at United Vans would like to assure all our customers that licensed scrap yards, such as ourselves, are very different to the unlicensed variety.’
The usual requirements of most dismantling facilities are that you own the vehicle that you are scrapping and can prove it. Once in the yard the vehicle will be dismantled and any spare parts that still work probably kept for resale in the second hand parts market and the rest of the vehicle will be separated into component materials and sent for recycling where possible. The current trend of thefts should not reflect badly on most of these businesses and consumers should continue to trust their local scrap yard unless there is evidence that they shouldn’t.
About United Vans
United Vans is a licensed vehicle dismantler and has the facilities to separate and dispose of many of the wide range of materials found in scrapped vehicles. They have an excellent reputation for the sale of second hand parts and often announce their needs for specific vehicles to break for spares with ads such as ‘Toyota Hilux wanted‘ or ‘Vauxhall Brava wanted’. They can be contacted via their website www.unitedvans.com
Cellulitetalk.org Comments on Cellulite Treatments – Cellulite Doesn’t Just Effect Overweight Women
Cellulite does not only affect overweight women but also skinny women. The medical field has often thought of it as a lack of elasticity of the skin. However, one of the primary well-known causes of cellulite is a high level of the female hormone estrogen.
At Cellulite Talk they know that women spend over a billion dollars a year worldwide on beauty treatment products in search of perfection. Cellulite treatment is probably one of the hardest products to shop for if you do not understand what cellulite really is. One website now is seeking to inform women and educate them in the workings of cellulite, CelluliteTalk.org.
Cellulite Talk provides information about cellulite treatments and removal. Being such a complicated matter that goes beyond just skin care or a simple weight loss program, Cellulite Talk explains the how and why of the treatment process. It is important to know that it is not just fat you are dealing with but your hormones as well. Cream treatments alone are not going to get you where you need to be hormonally. As a matter of fact just diet or exercise alone will not help you either if they are not the properly suited for the need of cellulite removal.
When discussing cellulite treatments with your friends and family you have to understand what works for one may not work for another. As difficult as it is to pin down, everyone will have to find what the direct causes of their cellulite are and then make the proper adjustments gradually. Change comes with time and adjustment.
Cellulite does not only affect overweight women but also skinny women. The medical field has often thought of it as a lack of elasticity of the skin. However, one of the primary well-known causes of cellulite is a high level of the female hormone estrogen. Estrogen has the ability to cause you to have an increase in mammary tissue but also to put on more weight. Poor diet and a slow metabolism can both be culprits to sabotaging your battle for cellulite removal. While in retrospect poor diet and improper food selection can lead to both elevated estrogen levels and a slower metabolism, this does not make a proper diet the right treatment for cellulite. Lifestyle, medication, or even birth control can all play a role in you developing cellulite, maintaining it and sabotaging your cellulite treatment.
Cellulite Talk goes over all of these things and many other factors and contributors to cellulite. They also discuss the fact that men are also affected by cellulite and it has been even found in adolescence. Cellulite Talk provides you with information on cellulite treatment, to allow you to make an informed decision.
How will insurance taxes affect car and motorcycle breakdown cover?
As the new coalition government struggles to raise funds and close the deficit gap they have begin to look for money in odd sources. Presently they are trying to enact an increase of 100% on the insurance premium tax. This will directly affect many United Kingdom consumers who purchase car and motorcycle breakdown cover.
Breakdown cover is classified as insurance and taxed as such. One option is to lock in a deal for the next year’s breakdown cover before any potential tax increase drives the price to a point where cover is not affordable. To quickly find the best deal, perform an easy online breakdown cover comparison. Using the internet one can find out fast which company has all the features they need. Popular features for breakdown cover include, home start, tow home and European breakdown cover single trip protection.
The latter is a perfect solution for those who only occassionally travel abroad. However if you travel to the continent with your car on holiday more than twice a year you should consider pricing for full time Eurotravel protection so as to take advantage of the pretax increase price schedule. Amazingly many UK drivers assume that their cover policy protects them for any contingency. This is hardly the case as basic breakdown cover very often will not even pay to have your car brought home from a distance of 20KM let alone from southern Spain. Take a moment and read over your cover policy and if the protection you need is not detailed, compare prices for breakdown cover.
New Sky and Virgin HD box technology brings 3D programming into your home
In the late 1950s 3D movies were all the rage. For many of us able to remember those films the reemergence of the technology came as quite a surprise. The original 3D cinema format was a mere novelty better suited to monster movies than actual entertainment. Today almost every animated film comes out in both a conventional and three dimensional format. Indeed a great deal of the success of Avatar must be attributed to ticket sales to watch the film in 3D. Almost all the Pixar films are available as such. It was only logical that these immensely popular films would find their way to our home screen in the 3D format.
Sky TV was the first to offer 3D capability built into their Sky HD box. Earlier this year, Virgin Media in an effort to keep up with the great prices and service as part of Sky TV packages announced they would be making 3D viewing available as well. The primary component needed to make this possible was the Virgin HD box which passed final testing and is now available as part of Virgin Media’s HD packaging. Bear in mind that digital photography has done wonders for 3D movie quality.
The Biangular approach of 3D was far too dark in the original format. Coordination of twin projections without the use of computer assistance left old time projectionists perplexed. Now consider that for 3D TV use all that is required is a signal that incorporates the two images and sets the pitch of the LCD pixels. More simply, 3D is easy on TV and both the Sky and Virgin HD box can bring it into your home.
Digital TV News – Michael Phillips of Digitalchoices.co.uk Comments on The Prices of BT’s Sky Sports Channel
Michael Phillips, from consumer based telecom website digitalchoices.co.uk comments;
“The coming season’s pay-TV decision for football fans has just got a lot harder. With first year cost savings of over £100, BT has priced its Sky Sports 1 and 2 with ESPN offering to warrant serious consideration from anyone looking to bundle their TV with broadband and phone. If recent reports are true about Sky looking to increase its own channel pricing then BT’s new offering could look even more compelling.
“We welcome the fact that BT has priced its broadband, phone and TV sports bundle so aggressively – Sky, Virgin Media and BT now all have genuine solutions for sports fans. However, each provider has different availability criteria so it’s crucial that consumers compare services and prices in their area.
“BT’s new Sky Sports offering is a clear winner on headline pricing as part of a broadband and home phone bundle but it is worth remembering that for those interested in programming beyond sport, it doesn’t carry Sky1 which has a history of premiering key entertainment shows in the UK.
“BT’s announcement is great news for people that don’t live in a Virgin Media cabled street since there is now a competitive alternative to Sky’s own offering. Although BT’s Vision+ box is HD ready, there is currently only one real solution for those wanting their sport fix in HD – and that is Sky.”
About Digital Choices
Digitalchoices.co.uk is a leading comparison site, that helps readers better understand the options around digital servies like Digital and Satellite/ Sky TV packages.