The Skip Magazine

Does anyone know anything about this?

I've just had a TV director on stating that they'd heard that traffic wardens were going to be issuing fines to skip hire companies for breaking any of the laws regarding lights, overloading, permits etc.

Below is a copy of the emails we've exchanged so far. If anyone out there knows anything about this, please let us know asap so we can report it to our readers.

Here are the emails:

"Hi my name is jaine green and I am a TV director currently researching a documentary about waste management. I wondered if you could help on a legal issue - I believe at the monent it is criminal law not to have lights on a skip, to have a skip without a lience, to overfill a skip or not to cover it - first is that right? Second I have heard that it's about to be made civil law and that traffic wardens will be able to issue tickets for skip offences - do you know if there is any truth in this and what effect will this have?"

My reply:

"Thanks for your enquiry. These are my initial reactions to the questions:

The law that most skip hire companies adhere is the Highways Act 1980

Lights: they are a legal requirement when the skip is on a public highway. Each council in the UK has a different interpretation of how important this is so adherence to the law is different in different areas of the UK. There is also an argument over whether it's the skip owner or the hirer that's actually responsible.

Licence: Again, different across the UK. Each council interprets differently as to whether these should be charged for or how long they take to issue. Only applicable if on a public highway. Funnily enough I had decided to start a petition at Downing Street about homogenization of skip permits 10 minutes before your email.

Here is our permits petition we did at The Skip recently:
Skip Permit Petition

Overfill/covering: reading the act, it is illegal to take a skip when there's a danger of anything falling out. Nets, coverings etc. do help contain this and skip companies would not take anything that presents them with a hazard/insurance/legal problem. Plus, as it is getting more expensive to dispose of waste with increased costs of recycling and landfill, they don't want it. Unfortunately, it is the nature of customers to fill them to the max or, even less controllable, for people to add waste to other people's skips. This is something I have been interviewed on BBC Radio 2 about as this is effectively stealing.

Traffic Wardens issuing tickets?? Why have we not heard that? It doesn't surprise me, but as I hope you can see from the above - who are they going to issue the tickets to? For overfill, the skip could have been loaded by a neighbour at 3am. For lights/cones not being on - these get stolen all the time. Permits? Fair play - if there's no permit and it's on the highway than there should be a fine; although we strongly believe that permit price/terms should be rationalized across the UK.

The problem with a story like the traffic warden is that whoever has come up with the idea has not consulted with the skip hire industry at all - they are probably doing it as a quick revenue stream, but they just haven't thought it through.

The skip hire industry is under enough huge pressure as it is, and this kind of scheme just doesn't help. Sure, there are people that abuse the rules, but they are the minority."

Please feel free to leave your comments here or email us at The Skip.

Last month ‘skip reporting’ went high-brow following a feature in The Observer’s weekly magazine (‘Those Big Yellow Crates Bring a Street Out to Play’ – July 1st).

As much as it enthused me to see such a fervour for skip facts within the article, my anal side couldn’t help but hunt for the nonsense.

For starters it claimed that the lowest priced skip in the UK was £65, whereas I know that skips start from as little as £50 in northern town like Oldham and Rochdale. Secondly it seemed to revel in made-up phrases like ‘New Navvies’ (people who deliver and pick up skips – supposedly), ‘skippery’ (items in skips) and ‘skip-fiends’ (‘skippies’ who illegally dump waste!).

Maybe I‘m just bitter because they didn’t ask me for some input! Either way, I have to admit it gladdened me to see such an article. Bravo, The Observer! - But next time give me a call!

Now onto the over-loaded skip photos I’ve received this month. The first comes courtesy of Darren from Salford Skips. The alley in the background looks remarkably like the back alley from the opening shots of Coronation Street and the skip itself looks like it’s about to give up the ghost. By my reckoning there’s enough waste in it to fill three skips, never mind two!

The next photo (and this week’s winner - by a whisker) was sent in by Shorts Skips from Ascot, Berkshire. This one uses the classic ‘fencing’ technique to pen the additional rubbish in. There’s something beautiful about the planning that’s gone into maximising the skip space, but did the customer really think in their heart of hearts that anyone would pick up such a monstrously over-filled skip?

I’ve been sent some real bloaters over the past few months but if you feel you can do better, take a photo of the next ‘mountainous’ skip you see and email your entries through to

post them to – Skip Watch, The Skip, Baxall Business Centre, Adswood Road, Stockport, SK3 8LF.

Environmental Law specialists Dyne Solicitors Limited are inviting skip hire operators to attend a workshop to help ensure they are fully up to date with new waste licensing rules.

The event is being held on 12th July 2007 at Dyne Solicitors Limited’s Tattenhall office and will provide a useful overview and advice on the following topics:

The impact of DEFRA's reorganisation of waste licensing to bring licensing in line with PPC in 2008 (Permitting review).

The opportunities presented by the requirement to pre-treat non-hazardous waste before disposal to landfill, which take effect from October 2007.

Long term changes to the landfill tax and tax exemptions.

Proposed changes to waste licensing exemptions and the impact of case law in the context of exemptions generally

Waste Strategy 2007

There is a modest booking fee of £23.50 per person with every extra person from the same organisation qualifying for a discount of 50 per cent. Light refreshments will be provided.

To reserve your place call 01829 773 100 (please mention "The Skip") or visit www.dynesolicitors.co.uk.

Are you looking to add your comments to our skip permit petition? If so you can read the story so far and add your comments on our skip permit petition page.

Do you run tippers in your fleet? Or are you considering adding a tipper to your expanding fleet?

If so it's worth visiting the only UK event dedicated to the tipping industry Tip-Ex07

The list of exhibitors that have booked so far reads like a roll call of the tipping industry: chassis manufacturers such as Hino, DAF, Volvo and MAN/ERF will be represented through their local distributors, major bodybuilders including Weightlifter, Fruehauf, Wilcox, Abba, United Trailers, Euroejectors and Priden, key component suppliers such as Edbro, ROR, Daimler-Chrysler, SAF, PM Onboard, Hyva, Harsh and Dawbarn and even European builders such as Stas, Benalu and Kraker will be there.

The event takes place in the lovely town of Harrogate and starts on the 3rd May 2007 and finishes on Saturday the 5th May, they run to the Saturday as they all know how busy we are Monday - Friday in the industry and you may want to take the other half and make a weekend of it!

Barry’s Skip Hire in Bankhall, Liverpool have released a charity album with the proceeds going to the baby hospice, Zoe’s Place.

The CD’s title is, ‘Autumn Leaves’ and the band are going under the name, ‘Rhythm Rascals & Friends’.

Wind Beneath My Wings

To order a copy of the album (which sounds a bit like Gerry & The Pacemakers and costs £5 + P&P) call Barry on 0151 944 2828 and make a safe and secure credit card payment over the phone.

Talking exclusively to The Skip, Barry Flanagan (Skip Hire owner and the Rhythm Rascals lead singer), 60, told us the project came about due to his work with the West Derby Rotarians, “Zoe’s Place isn’t funded by the NHS and relies entirely on charitable donations. Last year we raised £1400 with a previous album and thought it was worth doing again – except this time the music is even better”.

At The Skip we urge all our readers to give Barry call and buy a copy. The album has 12 tracks on and is worth the £5 retail price alone for Barry’s rendition of the Bette Midler classic ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’.

We all know it happens in the industry and I suspect if it has not happened to yourself you may know a fellow skipper that has lost a few over the years, we find it really annoying you spend £500+ on a builder skip and deliver it to your customer and then go back a week later to find it has gone and no one has seen it.

Usually you have more chance of finding Shergar or Lord Lucan than your skip

The Solution - Skip Locks

Well we at the skip magazine set about finding a simple practical solution in the form of SKIP LOCKS for the normal chain lift range of skips and HOOK LOCKS for the RORO skips.

See a demonstration of the Skip Lock below

Skip Locks simply fit over the lifting lugs of the skips and stop people from attaching the lifting chains

“I have been using the skip locks for the past 4 months to reduce the theft of my skips and I am very pleased with the results”

MR Baylis
AB Skip Hire
Wednesbury

For more information on pricing & availability call us on
0844 560 7706 or

Please note due to the different styles of padlocks we do not supply them, how ever we have found a good supplier of locks.
Click here for padlocks

If you need locks to fit on Hook Lift or RORO skips then we can also supply these, you can see a demonstration online here RORO LOCKS

High Quality Skip Lights, with daylight sensor and padlock. The Skip Light fits securely around the lifting lug of the skip to help light up the skip at night. These are the best warning lights for skips on the market.

Here's a video demonstration of our Skip Lamp. For more details or to order by credit card, call us on 0844 560 7706 during office hours.

Each unit comprises of the following

Skip Light Heavy Duty Cage
Skip Light (comes on automatically at night time)
Battery
Choice of Padlock or allen key locks can be supplied

£28.50 per light for regular subscribers to the magazine
£36 per light for non subscribers to the magazine

FREE Delivery on orders of 10 or more units
(Discounts available on Quantity)

Call us at the Skip for more details 0844 560 7706 or

Ace contributor to The Skip magazine, Paddy-Jo Malpas, explaining how she will be saving Orangutans and the rain forest of Borneo when she joins Operation Raleigh on the trip to Borneo in February 07 and how you can help by sending donations to help Operation Raleigh.

You can donate to Paddy's fund by Credit Card or Paypal on her blog here: www.paddy-jo.blogspot.com or by sending cheques made payable to "Operation Raleigh" to Paddy's Eco Mission, The Skip Magazine, Baxall Business Centre, Adswood Road, Stockport SK3 8LF

By Dunstan Carter

Ex-truck driver Jamal Williams is LAUGHING all the way to the bank after launching a successful employment website using a laptop he found in a SKIP!

Mr Williams, 45, found the computer by ACCIDENT whilst working as a skip truck driver in Swindon and his site www.thepolishplumber.com is currently receiving a staggering 12,000 HITS per day.

“It’s all happened overnight” he told The Skip, “and it’s ABSOLUTELY CRAZY. One day I looked into one of the skips I’d collected to see what goodies it might contain and I saw an old waterlogged laptop.

“I took it home and hung it on my washing line to dry out. I switched it on, and to my surprise, it worked perfectly.”

What makes the story even more amazing is that up until he discovered the computer, Mr Williams had never had any computer training in his life. He simply plugged the computer in and started studying at home using library books and free internet software until he had the website designed and primed for action.

“It’s almost beyond belief that a man with no training can set up a fantastic business so cheaply” Mr Williams added.

“The key to the site’s success is its domain name – ‘The Polish Plumber’. The brainwave came when I heard the phrase used on the BBC News about the influx of new emigrants to the UK from Poland. With migration such a hot topic these days, the phrase is hardly out of the media.”

Mr Williams is now hoping to use the wealth that he has created to set up a number of businesses in his native Jamaica but confesses that he will never end his love affair with skips and the treasures they sometimes contain.

“I LOVE LOOKING IN SKIPS” he admitted, “in fact I can’t walk past one without a quick look in.

“Over the years I’ve found printers, cameras and even a set of antique silver spoons. I love it – IT’S BETTER THAN SEX!”

“The streets of Britain may not be paved with gold” Mr Williams concluded, “but the skips and bins are full of golden opportunities”

What a guy!

By Dunstan Carter

‘Every Loser Wins’ sang Nick Berry in the mid 1980’s. And for Burnley FC, losers in the 1988 Sherpa Van Trophy Final, that phrase was never truer as they picked up their runners up medals on that fateful Spring day.

One member of the team however, lost his medal and he’s never tried to get it back.
How does The Skipknow this, I hear you holler!?

Well, six years ago, Ivor Ball, a retired scrap metal worker from Rochdale, found the missing medal in a skip and after years of doing very little about it has recently launched a public appeal to track the owner down.

Ten of the original twelve players who played on that day have been contacted and are all say they still have their medals; as does the manager at the time, Brian Miller. This leaves only the captain, Ray Deakin or utility player, Shaun McGrory as the medal’s rightful owner.

Burnley lost the final 2-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers 18 years ago but the day is still remembered fondly by Burnley fans as the intervening years have been very barren on the medals front. The medal has also been verified by the FA so there’s no chance that it’s a copy or a fake.

Sarah Meakin, a spokesperson for Burnley FC has said the medal will end up in a memorabilia museum if it remains unclaimed.

So, Mr Deakin and Mr McGrory, if you’re reading this article and you’re eager to get the medal back so that you can brag about it to your kids or bore your mates with your loser medal stories down the pub, get in touch with us at pr [at] theskip.net

Losing is nothing to be ashamed of boys!

By Paddy-Jo Malpas

The tranquil scenery of Orton Woods is a place where many a rambler goes to enjoy the view and the last place on earth where you would expect a great, big, dirty skip. Yet disgusted walker, Keith Smith came across a builders skip blocking his way when out for his daily morning walk.

Not only was the skip dumped near the local beauty spot of Snowdrop Corner, it had also been filled with cement which had set, making it impossible for the skip to be moved.

Mr Smith said: “This is another example of an act of vandalism against the countryside and another cost to the taxpayers of Peterborough for its clearance.”

The sight has been made ever worse by the fact that huge vehicle tyre marks have damaged the area.

Distraught ramblers have tried to contact the Peterborough council, but they are denying all knowledge of being informed of this atrocity.

Peterborough City Council’s community safety manager Christine Graham said: “Now we are aware of this issue, our officers have been down to the footpath to assess the problem and we will remove the skip as soon as we can.”

By Louise Malpas

There’s been a bit of a buzz around Warwick recently…

Bottle banks set up by Warwick District Council have caused a nightmare for residents living nearby. Smashing glass and angry wasps are only the beginning of a long list of problems that are caused by the recycling banks. Shopkeeper Kay Lazecky has complained to the council and tells The Skip magazine that the banks have made her life a misery ever since they were set up.

Woken early in the morning and kept awake late at night by the loud crash of glass, she says life is becoming intolerable and she is at her wits’ end. Worse still, Lazecky is allergic to wasps, and the insects have increased in numbers and have even set up home by the tip. The problem has become so severe, Lazecky has to sleep under netting to avoid being stung at night. (Perhaps we could offer her some discount on the netting? Just a thought! – Ed)

Warwick Council have admitted that the bottle banks have raised environmental health issues and health and safety inspectors have visited the site, commenting that they could easily attract vermin. So maybe Lazecky’s in luck.

District Council spokesman Richard Brooker commented, “We will do whatever we can to find an alternative site for the recycling centre if we can have it moved.”

A 32 year old man from Accrington threw himself in front of a train just hours after filling a skip with everything he owned.

Christopher Reynolds died instantly after suffering massive head injuries on a stretch of track located between Rishton and Church in Lancashire.

Mr Reynolds suffered from learning difficulties at school and had never been employed. In an inquest into the suicide, the court heard how Mr Reynolds stood in front of the train and adopted a ‘crucifix pose’ as it hurtled towards him at nearly 50 mph.

Anthony Reynolds, father of Christopher, told the court how his son had become a bit of a recluse in the months leading up to his death but that everything seemed fine with him on the day of his suicide. Only ten days earlier Christopher had hired a skip but Anthony was unaware of his son’s plans.

“I don’t know why he did it but he put everything from the house in the skip,” Mr Reynolds said before adding, “I didn’t know until it had been done, otherwise I would have talked him round.”

The driver of the train, Geoffrey Cowell, described how after switching of an automatic alarm just outside Rishton he looked up to see a man on the tracks staring up at the train and putting his arms out in a crucifix pose.

Mr Cowell applied the brakes immediately but it was too late and the train didn’t stop until 200 metres further down the line.

Builders starting work on the former Warwicks and Richardsons brewery got a lot more than what they bargained for when they carted away a whopping SIX skips full of pigeon mess from the site.

The brewery in Newark is to be turned into apartments after falling into disrepair after brewing ceased in 1966. The developers, Newark Property Development Ltd. are hoping that the building work will start within a year, after the preliminary clearing work is finished.

Mr Rick Elliot of Newark Property Development Ltd says that they are doing their best to stick to their schedule and get the job done on time. Locals think the building is an eyesore and are welcoming plans to move forward.

Asbestos has also been removed from the roof, prompting the team at The Skip to wonder if there is anything hidden under all that pigeon poo?

University bosses have been forced to back down on a decision to ban Norris Skips from the grounds of Greenwich University.

Norris Skips were banned because the firm share the surname as one of the five men accused of murdering black teenager, Stephen Lawrence in nearby Eltham in April 1993.

The original decision to ban Norris Skips was seen as political correctness gone mad and was labelled as ‘over-sensitive’ by local MP, Derek Conway.

Stephen Lawrence’s mother, Doreen, has strong links with the University and achieved a BA Honours degree in Humanities in 1995. In 1997 she also completed a post-graduate programme in Counselling Skills and in 1999 was awarded a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.

Kieron Norris, manager of Peter Norris Haulage Ltd, stated that the situation has now been resolved and his company has since been allowed back onto the site to complete its £30,000 job.

Bosses at the University refused to comment.

David Lewis a postman from Ystradgynlais in Powys has been found guilty of stashing over 40,000 letters in one of the biggest cases of undelivered mail Britain has ever seen.

David Lewis's lethargy was only discovered after he decided to move house and decided to dump the mail in recycling skips.

Workers at the local recycling facility became suspicious when they spotted the envelopes and junk mail and informed bosses.

The Royal Mail investigated and Lewis, 53, confessed to destroying and trying to destroy the stash.

The former postman, has been jailed for four months after pleading guilty at Neath Magistrates' Court to damaging around 100 postal packets by setting fire to them and attempting to destroy up to 40,000 more by putting them in skips to be recycled.
James Pearn, defending Lewis, said, "Throughout the whole offence, Mr Lewis did not deliberately fail to deliver addressed mail, was not deliberately hiding mail and was not deliberately storing mail."

He informed the court that Lewis left surplus door-to-door mail in his van and this built up while he was on the sick - for six weeks when he broke his ribs and for 20 weeks when he had a hernia.

"On those occasions addressed mail he assumed, wrongly, had been dealt with while he was away from work but sadly wasn't. [It] became mixed up with the door-to-door mail, which he transferred from the vehicle to his garage," Mr Pearn said.

On sentencing him, chairman of the magistrates Howard Davies said, "Your actions have caused a great deal of harm not only to your employers, to whom you were in a position of trust, but also the community who lost goods and services to which they were entitled.

"This was aggravated by your efforts to dispose of the mail with the skips."

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said, "This conviction underlines the fact that we take decisive action and will seek to prosecute all those found responsible for dishonesty."

By Dunstan Carter

Mark Chung, a 31 year old prisoner has escaped from Ranby prison in Nottinghamshire by hiding in the back of a skip.

Chung, who is serving a seven year sentence for drug dealing was seen jumping from a skip after it was removed from the prison in the early hours of Wednesday 7th September 2006.

The driver of the skip truck watched helplessly as Chung hurtled out of the container as the vehicle pulled into an industrial estate on Sandy Lane in Worksop.

Police instantly released a photo of the convict and he is described as a white man, 5ft 9 inches tall, of medium build, with a shaved head. He is also believed to be wearing forest green trousers and a t-shirt.

Chung is thought to be very dangerous and the people have been warned not to approach him under any circumstances.

Detective Inspector Dave Sinclair of Nottinghamshire police informed a worried public that, “Chung is probably extremely dirty and may look dishevelled and wet due to hiding in the waste lorry. Anybody who sees a man fitting his description is asked to contact us immediately.”

At The Skip we are now adding convicts to the long line of things we dislike finding in skips (see also dead badgers, asbestos, fridges, rubber tyres, stun grenades and missiles!)

Skip Units Group are ‘over the Troon’ after supplying South Ayrshire Council with three Randalls Simpak 1800T traversing waste compactors and a variety of containers for its new, state-of-the-art Community Recycling Centre at Troon in Scotland.

The machines have already proved to be a runaway success story since installation, after fulfilling measures to decrease landfill levels and improve on environmental targets.

The 1800T machine is very powerful and compacts waste so efficiently that an average of 10 to 12 tonnes can be removed in one load. Compacting reduces costs as compacted waste requires fewer journeys to transport the same volume to landfill and with fewer large service vehicles are required on site. The site is also served by five 40 yard compaction containers and one 20 yard RoRo container manufactured by Skip Units in Derby.

The amenity was officially opened on June 26th by Councillor Alistair Kerr, the Convener of South Ayrshire Council’s Commercial and Business Services Committee and was funded by the Scottish Executive’s Strategic Waste Fund. It was designed and built by South Ayrshire Council’s Waste Management and Roads sections.

The new centre replaces an existing one that had become too small to serve the requirements of the community. A full range of facilities has been provided to allow residents to separate and then recycle or compost as much of their household waste as possible.

The Troon centre is piloting an innovative compost return voucher system where compost derived from South Ayrshire garden waste, which the Council routinely collects from residents in brown, wheeled bins, can be purchased at the site with vouchers on sale in the town. Buying a voucher gives the purchaser a re-usable 70 litre hessian sack which can be filled from a 16 tonne bay at the centre. A voucher system was chosen so that staff would not have to process cash. If successful, the scheme may be extended to other locations in South Ayrshire.

Last year South Ayrshire recycled and composted 36.5% of the waste collected by the council, well ahead of Scotland’s overall figure of 21%. The council expects that the new centre at Troon will improve on this. The target of the local area waste plan is to recycle or compost 52% of municipal solid waste by 2020.

And with increasing targets for recycling and composting set by government, it is only a matter of time until this nifty bit of kit is set to be a common sight across the UK’s transfer stations and recycling centres. To in-bin-ity and beyond!!!

A CCTV camera that was fitted to a lampost in Queens Park, Bedford to catch fly-tippers has been removed and now the litter louts are back.

The camera had been placed on Old Ford End Road beside a notorious fly-tipping hotspot, but was taken away in order to tackle crime elsewhere in the borough.

One local resident commented, “While the camera was there it was quite effective, but apparently it was needed at Priory Marina because of vehicle crime, and since it was removed the fly-tipping has got completely out of hand.

“It’s a daily problem, which the council deals with by sending someone out to clear the rubbish up. But now people know their rubbish will be taken away if they leave it there, while some even think it’s an approved dump.

“Actually it’s an atrocious mess. People are turning up and leaving their garden waste, flower pots, planks of wood, general rubbish – they just dump it all over the pavement.”

Borough Councillor, Muhammad Khan, whose well aware of the problem, responded by saying, “Some people are demanding skips to be emptied on a regular basis as a solution. But who is going to provide them and bear the expense? Ultimately it will come back on the taxpayer.”

A Borough Council spokesman added, “We take fly-tipping very seriously. (but) This camera has been relocated following a request by the police. We are continuing our efforts to catch and prosecute persistent offenders.

“We encourage anybody discovering an incidence of fly-tipping to report it to the council’s environmental hotline (0800 121 8888), so that it can be investigated and removed.”

The dumping continues.

Plans to remove four manned amenity skips have been met with anger from council tax payers after South Shropshire District Council revealed that they were becoming a budget concern. Removal plans have stalled however due to the amount of complaints received by worried locals.

The skips, located in Bishop’s Castle, Church Stretton, Cleobury Mortimer and Craven Arms, were initially due to removed for good on 1st October in the effort to save £85,000. But now waste disposal firm, Biffa, has told the council that the savings can only be achieved if yet another site at Coder Road, Ludlow is also shut.

SSDC’s director, Bill Jones, says that the council is still receiving numerous complaints about the closing of the skips and that plans for the council to meet and discuss the issue have been scrapped to fully consider the suggestions being put forward to them.

Mr. Jones reassures all council members that the current level of service will be maintained at least until the end of March next year and that the council are left in no doubt as to the strength of public feeling about the skips.

UK Recycling company prove, “There’s snow business like waste business”

Waste recyclers Pearsons are making friends with the penguins after landing a contract to handle waste generated by scientists in Antarctica.

The Thetford based company are delighted that BAS (British Antarctic Survey) chose them ahead of strong competition from other waste recycling companies in the UK.

Managing Director Jo Pearson ARCTIC-ulated his delight and slight bewilderment over the news by stating,

“We pride ourselves on being able to handle just about anything, but recycling waste from Antarctica is unusual, even for us!”

Rod Dowdie, Environmental Manager at BAS commented on the contract by declaring,

“We were impressed with Pearsons because they really engaged with us and seemed genuinely interested in what we are doing. We have a legal requirement to recycle and we are committed to it.”

Up until recently only a small percentage of the waste generated had been shipped over to the UK and much more was being dumped into landfill sites on the Falkland Islands. This meant much less recycling, making the latest situation great news for the environment.

Pearsons are one of Norfolk’s largest waste recyclers, employing 90 people and with annual sales of more than £8m. They have also recently acquired a number of smaller businesses and now provide skip and recycling services throughout the Eastern Counties… and Antarctica.

British Antarctic Survey is a world leader in research into global issues in an Antarctic context, including the study of climate change both today and in days gone by. It is the UK’s national Antarctic operator and is a component of the Natural Environment Research Council. Currently it runs nine research programmes and operates five research stations, two research ships and five aircraft in and around Antarctica.

She probably doesn’t mind – but that’s not really the point is it?

A distressed family turned up to visit their granny Ann Farrelly’s grave only to find a skip on top of it.

Relatives of the recently deceased grandmother arrived to find they couldn’t leave flowers on her grave or even pay their respects.

When asked about the situation Ann’s daughter, Angela McHugh said,

“We arrived with a wreath and found the skip just sitting there, blocking out the flowers and memorial. We were on holiday when she died and did not get to say a proper farewell, so this is upsetting.”

Ann was buried in May of this year in Wellingborough, Northants.

A council spokesperson said that putting skips on graves was a standard procedure when digging up fresh graves nearby but conceded that the situation, “…may have caused some upset to the family.”

By Louise Malpas

An 86-year-old aged pensioner was left with just the shirt on his back (and some plastic cutlery) after social services threw all his possessions into a skip.

Alec Watson who lives alone in Hallaway, Carlisle was left in tears after coming back to his house and finding all is worldly belongings squashed into a measly 4 cu yd skip.

A five-strong team came to Watson’s house last week and threw out ALL his clothes, ALL his bedding, and ALL his electronic equipment. He was left with a plastic knife and fork and spoon to eat with and spent the night shivering in a sleeping bag as his duvet was dumped in the skip.

But Cumbria services have said lonely Mr Watson agreed to his possessions being thrown out and that the matter had been fully discussed with his social worker.

Mr Watson came back at the council declaring that their discussions only involved the opportunity for the council to polish, clean and vacuum.

He said, “There was a lot of mess but I thought they were going to tidy up a bit. There was china in the cupboard wrapped in newspaper, they threw that out.

“I just sat in the chair and didn’t say anything, I didn’t know what to say. When they left, I started crying.

“I went to shave but my shaver and cream were gone.”

Neighbours were furious when they found out what had happened to the harmless loner, and refused the skip driver to pick it up. Delving into the discarded waste afterwards, the concerned residents managed to retrieve Mr Watson filthy diabetic equipment. Shocked onlookers stood and stared as wartime memorabilia, stereo, seven pairs of trousers and a colander was saved from landfill.

Mr Watson added, “I feel like my home has been invaded. I don’t want anything more to do with the social services.”

But social services got in touch with him after other neighbours raised concerns about the revolting smells coming from his house and his general trampy appearance. Margaret McDonald, a visitor to his house, often cooked and cleaned for him.

“I had to go out and buy him new razors, toiletries and cutlery the next day. When I complained, social services asked us to take what he wanted out of the skip.”

“I am sickened.”

Sue Bowman, adult social care area manager for Carlisle, said, “We are sorry to hear that Mr Watson has been upset by the clean up of his house. He agreed to it some time ago and a social worker and care team have visited him several times to discuss and agree the process.

“A team of four women and one man spent the day at Mr Watson’s home and cleaned and tidied the house from top to bottom.

“The care team was at pains to make sure that he agreed with every step of the process and Mr Watson OK’d the disposal of every item that was thrown away.

“They made his bed up with a clean, lightweight duvet and put some food in his cupboards. When they left Mr Watson said he was very pleased with the work – the care team are now distraught to find out that he is upset.

Mr Watson’s social worker will be visiting him as soon as possible to see if there is anything we can do to ease his distress.”

Police wildlife officers have launched an investigation after a dead badger was found in a skip in Burnley.

The dead badger, discovered in Hobart Street, was tucked in amongst rubble and wood and police believe it may have been dumped there.

A woman walking past the skip on Saturday lunchtime mistook the dead animal for clothes before double taking and seeing the beasts blood everywhere.

“It’s appalling someone would do this”, she said, “There were teeth marks down its side. It looked horrific!”

The Skip magazine are unsure whether or not this means the person who dumped the badger tried to eat it first but we urge anyone whose ever tried badger to get in touch with us at pr [at] theskip.net and tell their tale.

Burnley Police issued a statement confirming that, “The incident has been passed to a wildlife officer who will make enquiries”.