Neighbourhood Watch

Todwick Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter

August 2007

Welcome

Welcome to all who have signed up to the Todwick Neighbourhood Watch Scheme since the last newsletter in May 2007. We hope that you find this newsletter informative and of help to you.

If you have any issues that you would like to air, please contact Norman Anderson (chair).

Annual General Meeting

On Friday 27th July 2007, we held our first Annual General Meeting. Under our constitution, we are obliged to hold a minimum of one meeting per year. All the committee members offered themselves for re-election and were accepted. Should anyone require a free copy of the minutes from the meeting, please contact me.

Counterfeit Bank Notes - Warning

Please be aware that forged old style £20 bank notes are currently circulating in the Rotherham area. The quality of the notes is good. However to help protect yourself, you can buy a counterfeit note detector pen for £1.20 from the Rotherham Community Safety & Advice Centre, near the covered market, Howard Street, Rotherham. Tel 01709 374650. If you don't go to Rotherham very often but would still like to buy one of the pens, please contact Norman Anderson who will arrange for one to be obtained for you.

Carbon monoxide is quiet, it won't wake anyone!

In our last newsletter, we briefly looked at the problems of Carbon Monoxide and the fact that it is called the "Silent Killer". It is without taste, smell and is invisible!

We were able to distribute some free CO detector patches, which help to detect the presence of the gas, the response was overwhelming! HOWEVER, we now have gained access to Carbon Monoxide Alarms which sound an audible alarm if the gas is present. Comparable alarms on the open market are £19.99 upwards to £30, BUT through Todwick Neighbourhood Watch we can supply you with an alarm at £18. To obtain an alarm, please contact Norman Anderson and we will deliver one to your door in Todwick, at no extra charge. Leaflets outlining the problems of carbon monoxide are also available free of charge on the same telephone number.

If you are over 60 years of age, free safety checks are available for registered disabled, chronically sick, deaf or blind who join their own Gas suppliers Priority Service Register.

Remember to have all your gas appliances regularly checked by a CORGI registered installer. Credentials and identification badges should also be checked prior to agreeing any work. Consider having the chimney swept to clear soot, brick debris and birds nests. Carbon Monoxide can also occur in caravans and motor-homes with heaters, so an annual check of gas appliances is advised.

A carbon monoxide alarm can be used abroad. So, here are one or two simple precautions to protect yourself and your family from being part of the 600 people each year who are taken to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning.

Nuisance Telephone Calls

Nuisance telephone calls can take several forms. Silent phone calls, marketing or direct sale calls either from the UK or from abroad. If you find these calls intrusive and wish to curb them, you can register free of charge with the Telephone Preference Service on 0845 07007 07 or by using your computer at www.tpsonline.org.uk This should filter out most of the direct sale calls. Organisations in breach of the TPS register can be fined!

For silent phone calls, telephone freephone 0870 444 3969 to register your telephone number.

Occasionally you may receive calls (sometimes from overseas) asking for example if you have had an accident in the last 2 years and wish to claim. In many cases, this is a computer generated call which selects and dials random numbers. These can be reduced, if not stopped by telephoning 0870 990 3606 to buy an in line filter for your telephone. See also their website www.callblocker.co.uk for further details.

Spanish Lottery Scam

Previous warnings about this scam seem to have been heeded as we have been very recently informed of yet another attempt to obtain banking details from a Todwick resident. This one came on a letter headed "€uromillones loteria internacional" and advised that the recipient had been approved for a lump sum of €715.810 in cash. All she had to do was fill in and return the accompanying form addressed to Santalucia Security Company S.A. to include her bank details - sorting code number, account number, address etc.
PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THESE LETTERS.
There is no money available for you! It is a scam.

And one for the gardners... manure!

Yes, manure!
We are advised by the Police that a white Vauxhall Zafira van registered YF 53 JYE has been spotted in the Rotherham area. The occupants were alleged to be selling manure. When stopped the van contained no manure, nor did it smell of manure! If you are approached, please report it to the Police on 01142 202020.

Property Postcode Protection For You

Everyone who is a member of the Todwick Neighbourhood Watch Scheme will have received a free UV marker pen within their initial starter pack. Since you joined the scheme, you may have obtained new property, which will now need marking with your postcode. So, we can offer you UV marker pens at 20 pence each. Please contact me for free delivery in the village.

Village Police Community Support Officers

We are delighted to welcome Karen Coles, our Police Community Support Officer for Todwick & Kiveton, collar number 8094. She and her colleague Michelle will be supporting our two regular officers Tina Jones and Howard Saul. Part of Karen & Michelle's role will be: - high visibility patrols, nuisance youth problems, parking outside schools, and being the "eyes and ears" for our community. If you need to contact any of these officers please telephone 01709 832720 (Dinnington Police Station). The station is not staffed 24 hours a day, so you may need to leave a message on their answer machine.

If the issue is of a more urgent nature, please telephone 01142 202020 this is the local Police call centre number, staffed 24 hours a day, and you will be put through to a person who will take all the details. If your call relates to an incident, please ensure that you ask for an incident number for future reference.

However, if the call is an emergency, dial 999 and ask for the emergency service you require - fire, ambulance or police.

It's still free to join Todwick Neighbourhood Watch Scheme

Do you know anyone in the village who has still not joined the Todwick Neighbourhood Watch Scheme?

50% of the households in Todwick now benefit from FREE membership of the scheme.

• There is no joining fee.
• You are eligible to apply for a reduction in your home insurance premiums.
• You receive a free starter pack containing a free UV pen to mark your property with your postcode.
• You get a free quarterly newsletter telling you what is happening, what to look out for and other articles of interest.
• You get free interim newsletters if anything comes to our attention that we feel needs to be urgently advised to you.
• You have points of contact for help and advice on a range of subjects.

So if you know anyone in the village who is currently not a member and would like to be, please let us know and we can arrange for them to be signed on to the scheme.

In the first instance, contact me. It's that easy!

Handbag / Purse Thefts

We have been advised by the Police, of a number of thefts of cash, particularly from elderly people in Rotherham town centre. In one incident £360 was stolen from a lady's zipped pocket and several purses have also been snatched. Please be aware if you are in the area.

And penultimately...

Sadly we have to report that thieves have been at "work" in our area. A car radio has been stolen from a vehicle parked at the Red Lion. CCTV has not identified the culprit. Our beautiful old Parish Church, along with the one in Harthill and several others in the area, have all had lead stolen from the roofs. Garages and allotment sheds have also been targeted and various items stolen including alcohol and petrol. Evidence of attempted arson found at the allotments.

In early July a trailer disappeared from a village driveway whilst the occupants were in the house! And houses have been burgled whilst the occupants were on holiday. A physical assault also took place on Pocket Handkerchief Lane (which was recently made a one way street to accommodate road repairs on Todwick Road) when a motorist accidentally drove the wrong way down the lane.

We are also advised that youth nuisance, particularly on a Sunday night / early Monday morning is disturbing some villagers. The matter has been reported to the various authorities to try to find a way to curtail this anti social behaviour.

If you see anything that doesn't look right, it probably isn't right!
Please report it immediately by telephoning the Police on 01142 202020.
If you do not want to give your name, please telephone "Crimestoppers" free of charge on 0800 555 111.

And now finally...

We hope that you have enjoyed this quarterly newsletter and found it interesting and helpful. If you know of anyone in our village who is currently not in the scheme, perhaps you may care to pass this newsletter on to them and recommend that they join the fastest growing organisation in Todwick... AND it's still free of charge.

Now we cannot get it any cheaper than that! There are no monthly meetings to attend. You don't have to do anything - unless you want to! And it's great to belong to an inclusive group who all have this in common... they all live in Todwick and want to enjoy living here. Just contact Norman Anderson (chair).