Residents in a small corner of Benfleet, Essex have been told they will no longer be able to receive deliveries because they live on roads with uneven surfaces making it too perilous for the postal workers to venture down. Many residents such as Doreen and Meredith Chatterton, both in their late 80s, now face a round trip of up to hour in order to collect their mail from their nearest sorting office after receiving a letter informing them of the decision. The letter stated there had been ‘on several occasions a number of near miss accidents’ which prompted a health and safety review that found an ‘unacceptable risk’ for delivery to homes on unmade roads. Spokeswoman Sally Hopkins said: “We are keen to resume deliveries. We will review doing so when road repairs are made.”

But it is not the first time the Royal Mail has provided a bizarre reason for disrupting deliveries. In November last year a postman refused to deliver to one address in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk after complaining that the resident’s garden was too overgrown. In another case in Portsmouth, a resident was warned he would his service suspended unless he took steps to keep his “aggressive cat” under control.

Another week, another sat nav related incident. Once again we find that the trusty sat nav is perhaps not so trusty after all. A couple in Romsey have seen their garden wall flattened by a lorry for the second time in as many years. Susan and Roy Wood have blamed sat navs for the increase in lorries through their narrow estate. “We’ve lived here 19 years and didn’t have any problems until the invention of sat navs,” said Roy.
The Woods have now called upon highway chiefs to introduce signs warning drivers some of the local roads are unsuitable for heavy goods vehicles. Although this is a local incident of little national significance, the issue of heavy goods vehicles finding themselves on unsuitable roads is an increasing problem in the UK. Perhaps more small villages should adopt an ‘Ignore your sat nav’ sign similar to the one in Exton, Leicestershire.

At least the left indicator is still working.

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Department for Transport last week announced plans for a trail of longer commercial vehicles – up to 18.55m (60ft) long. The trial, which will run for 10 years, aims to boost the economy, reduce road journeys and cut pollution. A noble cause but can an additional 2m really make much difference?  Wincanton’s technical director Dave Rowlands said the new super-trucks “could save the transport industry almost £400 million a year and see harmful CO2 emissions reduced by up to 163,000 tonnes annually”. The increased size of vehicles will improve efficiency and save money, which can only be good news for consumers.

Good news for road freight and consumers, but bad news for rail freight and other road users. The Rail Freight Group (RFG) expressed “deep disappointment” at the decision and called the government’s commitment to green transport into question. Questions are also being raised regarding safety with many predicting an increase of six road deaths per year. Small haulage firms may also feel the effects of the trial as the haulage giants will be able to offer even more competitive prices.

A highway in Utah was forced to close after a lorry driver crashed his vehicle releasing 25 million bees into the surrounding area. Louis Holst and his wife Tammie were transporting 460 beehives worth $116 000 to California for almond pollination next spring when he lost control on a sharp bend, hit a concrete barrier and overturned.

The crash sent the bees into frenzy as they escaped from their damaged hives despite the safety nets covering them. Mr Holst said “First responders came and dragged me and my wife through the front window, then we panicked.” Although many of the bees dispersed, there were still enough to cause minor injuries and panic to the couple and local law enforcement.

Thankfully the bee keeping community in the surrounding area came to the rescue and helped in the clear-up  effort.’Nearly every hobbyist bee-keeper that I knew in Washington County was there. The bee-keepers responded,’ said beekeeper Melvin J. Taylor of Santa Clara, Utah. The road was reopened yesterday morning and Mr Holst said most of the bees were either dead or gone. Thankfully a less disastrous fate for Mr Holst and his wife who were treated in hospital for minor stings and bruises.

A lorry driver attempting to deliver his cargo to a local convenience shop has instead managed to become a national laughing stock. After following his Sat Nav the hapless driver wedged his phenomenally oversized lorry in the narrow street between two old buildings. The lorry became well and truly stuck when the driver tried to reverse only to find that the lane was too steep.

The local pub landlord had this to say about the unfortunate event – “Very little happens in Bruton, so this event was the talk of the town and the driver got ripped to pieces by the locals when he came into the pub,” he said. Despite the playful mood of the locals, the boss at Ian Crank Soft Drinks was not so quick to banter. The lorry driver suffered further disaster when he was suspended from his job, Ian Crank not letting the Sat Nav take the blame.

After a 26 hour rescue operation the lorry was final freed only causing minor damage to the surrounding buildings. The driver will now join the hall of fame of Sat Nav blunders, but at least he did not blindly follow his Sat Nav into a river as Petra Lang did earlier this year.

The fastest speeds that most people achieve when sitting on the sofa is usually reaching for the remote. Driver Glen Suter, however, put us all to shame by smashing for the world record for the fastest sofa. Using a 1,400cc Suzuki superbike engine Suter easily beat the previous record of 92mph, reaching an astonishing 101mph

“I’m absolutely stoked to have been able to hit world record speeds with our couch,” Mr Suter said. “I could feel the sheer power of the motor under the lounge as I was driving it down the runway. And it’s a pretty great feeling.”

Paul McKinnon, who built the machine for Australian drinks maker Ice Break, added: “It’s the oddest vehicle we’ve ever built. With race cars, you can use the aerodynamic body kit but with the couch it was a matter of just doing what we could. We tried to break the airflow with the coffee table.”

These glow in the dark rims are interesting to say the least! We’re one step closer to driving Kitt from Knight Rider!

Have a great weekend everyone!