Latest news with #FOI)Act
Leader Live
25-05-2025
- Leader Live
REVEALED: Number of LEGO thefts recorded in north Wales
The Leader has recently been taking a look through North Wales Police's Freedom of Information (FOI) Act archives. One request made asked for; 'The number of recorded shoplifting and burglary offences where 'LEGO' is explicitly mentioned in police reports, broken down by year?' That FOI reveals that the following LEGO thefts were made over the last four years; 2021 - 5 2022 - 6 2023 - 17 2024 - 9 2025 (so far) - 6 That gives a total of 43 LEGO thefts. Among the shops stolen from are B&M, Smyths Toy Stores and Game sites located across north Wales. Listed among the reports of thefts in 2021 was an incident where a man attempted to steal £700 worth of LEGO. In 2022, there was a case where distraction techniques were used by two men. One distracted staff members, while another stole four big LEGO sets to the value of £676. TOP STORIES TODAY Among the long list in 2023 were a £300 haul being stolen and a further case of a £280 quantity of LEGO stolen. Last year saw a man and a woman enter an ASDA store and steal LEGO sets, along with various other toys and items, by concealing them in a pram buggy All in all, the FOI shows that at least £3,500 of LEGO has either been stolen or attempted to be stolen from north Wales shops (Total worth of stolen items are not given in some cases). North Wales Police has been approached for further comment as to just why people target LEGO specifically. A staple of many childhoods, LEGO also has links with Wrexham, having once been manufactured and distributed in the county. Initially, the world-famous bricks were produced in a factory on Hugmore Lane on Wrexham Industrial Estate in the early 1960s. Later LEGO built a new UK distribution centre on Ruthin Road, featuring three giant LEGO bricks outside. The site closed in 2000.
Leader Live
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Leader Live
Hundreds of parking fines outstanding, say Wrexham Council
Last month, the Leader submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request to the council. In that, we asked; "What is the total amount of unpaid parking fines owed to Wrexham Council, and how many individuals currently have outstanding parking fines?" Wrexham Council responded by revealing that a total of 888 unpaid parking fines are still outstanding. They added that figure amounts to a total worth of £84,294.55. MORE NEWS The response from Wrexham Council added: "Due to how the system works - we are not able to answer the second part re. individuals as the report does not give names. "And, if going on VRM (Vehicle Registration Mark) that would not be accurate as the same person may not have had the same VRM over 2 PCN's (Penalty Charge Notice). "Also, if the vehicle details have not been updated with the DVLA then we would have incorrect individual details." If you park in the wrong place or don't pay for the correct amount of time, you're liable to receive a parking fine. You are not allowed to park: Wrexham Council's website adds: "Our enforcement officers patrol streets within the county borough and council-owned city centre car parks. "Enforcement officers will issue a PCN if you break any parking regulations in force at the time (for both on and off street contraventions). "If you receive a PCN you have a month to pay the charge stated on the PCN (or to make an informal challenge instead). "If you pay within 14 days the charge will be reduced by 50%."
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
North Wales council seizes illegal vapes from 29 premises - but no prosecutions made
A council trading standards team seized illegal vapes from 29 premises over two years. The information was released following an application under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, which revealed that no businesses were prosecuted, despite the seizures. According to the FOI application, Denbighshire County Council visited 59 premises in 2023, catching 15 shops selling illegal vaping products, and visited 30 premises in 2024 when 14 shops also had their products seized. READ MORE: Cyngor Gwynedd issues update on report into crimes of disgraced headteacher Neil Foden READ MORE: Teenage girl's bravery after being strangled in 'traumatic and terrifying' attack But in the same FOI, Denbighshire revealed it had not sought a single prosecution. When asked the value of illegal vaping products seized, Denbighshire County Council said: This would be impossible to calculate – due to the wide variety of vape types, makes, styles.' Denbighshire said illegal vapes were recycled after regional collections. . Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox. In relation to the cost of disposing of illegal vapes, the council said: '(There is) No direct cost to DCC as (the recycling is) funded through project work and coordinated by another authority.' In February this year, an industry-led report (Riot Labs) revealed that two illegal vapes were seized every minute in 2024, with almost £9m worth of illegal products removed from UK streets. Illegal vapes are dangerous, unregulated devices with unknown ingredients or much higher nicotine levels which can pose serious risks to health Public notices in your area
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Council forks out over £55,000 in compensation for pothole damage in last three years
BRADFORD Council paid out more than £55,000 in compensation to drivers for pothole damage over a three-year period, new figures show. According to data obtained by personal injury specialists Accident Claims Advice under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, the authority forked out a total of £55,932.25 in pothole compensation claims in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Common problems caused by potholes include damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels. The statistics in the FOI also reveal that the Council spent a total of £639,613.04 in carrying out pothole repairs over those three years. Beverly Faulkner, Accident Claims Advice's public liability specialist, said: "Councils and local authorities have a duty of care to ensure the safety of people using public spaces, such as parks, highways and footpaths. "A crucial part of this is making sure the land under their control is properly maintained. "Failing to do this can put people at risk. "The damage caused by potholes can be catastrophic - leading to serious injury as well as costly vehicle damage. "It is vital that roads are properly maintained." The Telegraph & Argus asked Bradford Council for a response to the figures - but no comment was received by the time of publication. The head of a House of Commons committee recently branded road conditions across England a "national embarrassment". Conservative MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), warned that road users were being put at risk from "highways riddled with potholes". A damning report by the committee found the Department for Transport had "not taken responsibility" for its role in how roads have deteriorated. The cost of bringing pothole-plagued roads in England and Wales up to scratch has been estimated at a staggering £16.3 billion. A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "For far too long our roads have been left to crumble - and this PAC report has laid bare the result of the decades of decline we have inherited in our road infrastructure. "That's why we're investing a record £1.6bn for the coming year to help local authorities fix up to seven million more potholes. "Road users are rightly frustrated by patchwork repairs, so we are also committed to multi-year funding settlements to enable Councils to better maintain their road networks and avoid potholes forming in the first place." People can report potholes via Bradford Council's website.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Yahoo
Over 7,000 people arrested for drink-driving in West Yorkshire in last three years
MORE than 7,000 people have been arrested for drink-driving in West Yorkshire in the last three years, new figures show. According to data obtained by law firm Legal Expert via Freedom of Information (FOI) Act requests, West Yorkshire Police made a total of 7,254 arrests for drink-driving between December 2021 and November 2024, with 5,685 charges made. It is the fourth highest number of arrests recorded out of all UK police forces since 2021, coming behind only London, Northern Ireland and the West Midlands. A West Yorkshire Police chief described the offence as "absolutely unacceptable" - and said the force takes it "very seriously". West Yorkshire Police also revealed the most prolific areas for drink-driving in the last year in the FOI response. Leeds came out on top, with 651 arrests made in 2023-24. It was followed by Bradford, where 413 arrests were made. A further 377 arrests were made in Kirklees, 359 in Wakefield and 216 in Calderdale. The most common age group to be arrested for drink-driving in West Yorkshire in the last year was those aged between 18 and 34, accounting for 43 per cent of the figures, closely followed by 35 to 51-year-olds, making up 42 per cent. Eighty per cent of people arrested for drink-driving in West Yorkshire last year were male. Legal Expert's road traffic accident specialist, Tracy Chick, said: "Drink-driving is such an avoidable offence and there is no excuse for drinking and getting behind the wheel." Chief Inspector James Farrar, head of the roads policing unit at West Yorkshire Police, said: "Driving while under the influence of drink and drugs is absolutely unacceptable. "It is a cause of some of the very serious collisions we see on our roads which often lead to people being killed or seriously injured. "West Yorkshire Police takes drink and drug-driving very seriously - and we conduct regular road safety operations all year round to catch those committing driving offences, including drink and drug-driving. "We do, of course, also continue to carry out our specialist Operation Limit drink and drug-drive campaign every Christmas and New Year. "The Christmas 2024 Operation Limit, which recently concluded, resulted in 186 suspected drink-drive arrests, and 93 for suspected drug-driving. "We will prosecute in all cases where persons are found to be over the drink-drive limit and also continue to support our Vision Zero partnership strategy in West Yorkshire."
