Todwick Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter
June 2011
Welcome to all those who have signed up to the Todwick Neighbourhood Watch since our last newsletter in February 2011. We hope that you find these newsletters informative and useful and we always value your information and feedback.
Our Annual General Meeting
Following requests at the 2010 AGM to change the date, our Annual General Meeting will be held at Todwick Village Hall on Thursday 7th July 2011 starting at 8 pm. All members of the Neighbourhood Watch are invited to attend. If there are any issues that you would like to raise, or if you have any proposals please inform the secretary Mrs V R Anderson in writing by 30th June 2011.
Scrap Collecting Lorries
We are still experiencing incidents where flatbed lorries are touring round our village with the occupants often helping themselves to any metals left on view. The Police recommend that waste metal is disposed of at the nearest household waste site - currently at North Anston. Large items will be collected by the Rotherham Borough Council for a nominal fee - this fee is reduced if you are a Rothercard holder. The Police have also asked that waste skips are moved from the village at the earliest possible time to try to deter theft of this nature.
The village has also experienced a spate of thefts of garden ornaments, large rocks, and large planters from a variety of gardens in Todwick. Often these have occurred in the hours of darkness. A noisy Subaru motor vehicle AND an old Vauxhall Corsa vehicle have been noticed from time to time when items have disappeared. The Police would like any sightings, preferably with the registration number, and brief details of the load being carried to be reported to them on 01142 202020.
Unwanted Telephone Calls
Unwanted telephone calls are continuing to be a perennial problem. Sadly those that come from outside the UK are not subject to our rules and regulations. Best advice is to ask for your personal details to be removed from their data base - this should help stem the flow. The Telephone Preference Service, a free service offered to anyone who lives in the UK, can cut down the number of unwanted telephone calls from the UK. This can be done on line by typing T.P.S. onto your computer search engine, and then follow the prompts. There is also a free "Mail Preference Service" to cut down on junk mail. If you do not have access to the internet, and you wish to take advantage of these 2 free services, please contact Norman Anderson for help.
This will not however, cut down on the scam and "dodgy" telephone calls so please be aware that we have had villagers report the following telephone calls within the last three months ... one call advised the householder that she was going to get a refund from her bank of £900. They did not say why but all she had to do was to confirm her address and bank details. Please do not fall into this trap.
One other villager received a call that offered a burglar alarm system at a very low price, but the sting was that there was a substantial monthly fee. They also claimed that if the alarm was activated, they would be at the householder's property within 7 minutes. They are based near junction 26 on the M1.
Several villagers (including me) have had phone calls purporting to be from "Windows" stating that their computers are running slow! Other calls indicate that your computer has a virus and you may not be aware of it. Please be aware that these calls, invariably coming from abroad, are often attempts to sell an expensive antivirus programme (£280 has been quoted) that will do nothing to speed up your computer.
Occasionally, reports of strange messages come to me. With the best will in the world, I can find no logical answer to them. One text message to a villager read "Message from Libya. If I hear anymore I will tell you!" As there has been no further contact, this may just be a genuine mistake in dialling.
Hello Gardeners
Now that the warmer weather is upon us, no doubt many of us will be busy in the garden but be aware, this is prime time for sneak thieves. It is a wise policy to lock your house doors when you go into the garden and keep the keys on your person. Also ensure that garden tools are safely locked away after use.
No Cold Calling
I have been approached by a villager to investigate whether we can set up "no cold calling" areas in the village. The concept is that a group of villagers who all live within close proximity of each other agree that they do not want any cold callers at the door. Signs advising visitors of this will be placed on lamp-posts on the street(s) concerned. If anyone is interested in learning more, please contact Norman on for further details.
Crime Statistics for Todwick
The crime statistics for Todwick for March, April & May 2011 inclusive are:
Burglary in a dwelling |
1 |
Theft from a motor vehicle |
2 |
Other miscellaneous thefts |
12 |
Antisocial behaviour reports |
14 |
Our thanks to all the villagers who have provided details of incidents in the village so we can alert others to these undesirable activities. Thanks also to Sheila Pantry for ensuring our village website shows the newsletters. For any further information please contact Norman Anderson (chair)