kford

Hmm. Mrs Kford's just had a call from our bank telling her that her Maestro card has just been used for a series of transactions in the Philipines. They cancelled it, and luckily it was on a couple of hundred quid. She's wracking her brain to rememeber where it was used, as she prefers the Barclay's ATM to the tampered-with HSBC. It would definitely be an ED cloning though, as she's only been local lately.

There's a great pic in a book in Dulwich library, taken just after, showing the crater and piles of rubble where the Co-op stood, with wrecked houses up Shawbury Road and EDers going about their business.

I lived in 'edgy' Camberwell for years and apart from: the three break-ins, one by the people we actually drinked with in the local pub; being asked to remain in my house with the curtains closed because a gunman was loose near the station arches; witnessing a man being beaten half to death in broad daylight by a gang armed with pickaxe handles; car vandalism and finding a man living in our shed, it was fine.

'Edgy' - isn't that estate agent-talk for 'dangerous at night'?

And apologies for telling you to 'shut up'. Perhaps we need a 'take it outside' button for such passionate battles, that allows the thread to continue without being lounged ;-)

He started it miss!

I hadn't finished.

Sure, and you can't drink outside pubs and you can't park with your car facing the traffic. Have you ever lived there? No? Well shut up then. My poll findings were possibly exaggerated, but hey, I haven't got the time to trawl the internet looking for the exact figures. You obviously have. My original point was just to show a little solidaity with the likes of Louisa, and others, who probably perceive that they're being persecuted for what, on the face of it, are trivial 'crimes'. That's all. I don't have a problem with life - how dare you - I do however have a probelm with people like you. who seem to want to start an argument at every opportunity. You don't work for NCP, APCOA or Southwark council do you?

Australia - cons: a bit far away; newspapers aren't as good as the UK. That's about it. France, Spain or even Germany. Cons: can't speak the language as well as I ought; would only get Channel 4 on satellite or PC. That's about it. The benefits over this expensive hateful little country, to anyone who's visited the above, are blindingly obvious. In a recent poll, people were asked to list what they would miss most about this country and they answered thus: 1. Nothing 2. Baked beans 3. The telly Says it all. Now try and think of something yourself. Hard, isn't it?

Common human decency goes out of the window when there's oodles of cash to be made with little recourse. Loz - I remember reading that (one of my comments has even been used), but thought it applied to CCTV convictions only. Reading again, you're right. Outrageous. What's stopping an attendant topping up his quota with a few passing numbers, as what happened to me once? How would you prove him wrong? Time to leave the country.

Carter39, you've been a victim of so-called 'ghost' tickets. Attendants will write up a ticket but not issue it to the car, to make up the numbers at the end of a slack shift (remember, these guys work piecework). Appeal and ask for photographic evidence, or the bailiffs will be round for you car or your telly. Lambeth tried it once in Brixton and I got off after appeal.

Glau, you should've driven off. The ticket has to be issued to the vehicle, otherwise you will get off under 'the offence did not occur' excuse. This doesn't apply to the Stasi-like issuing of tickets by CCTV.

Game over etc.

"I have not come across anything quite like this, but if accurate, it's appalling and the person who posted the story needs to go to the press. If we know who this person is, I would be more than happy to follow it up as a case." Ask any London motorist and they will tell you similar story, experienced by them or by someone they know. I had the same experience as Fuschia in SW4; a CPZ permit holder (issued by Lambeth) fell off in the sun and I got clamped and towed for not displaying correctly. Cost me ?240 to get the car back. Great. Plus, in Camden, Mrs Kford asked a parking attendant if it was OK to load in one particular spot and was told it was fine, only to return to the car two minutes later for another armful of clothes, to find a ticket. Apparently, you have to leave your bootlid up to signify 'loading'. We got off after a lengthy appeal. NB: Expect more of this if we allow a CPZ in this area.

He should've taken a photo of the ticket displayed 'incorrectly'; if you're convinced it was in the right place, challenge, saying you're prepared to take the case to the Parking Ajudicator. His photo will damn him. They'll possibly reject the first appeal, hoping you won't take it further, risking full payment, but take it further - they won't risk a day at the ajudication court if it's a grey area.

It's slowly carving out a niche as antique alley, though.

Technically Grove Vale, not ED, innit

Recently there were planes on final approach into Heathrow AND London City, with a couple of thousand feet between them. Not seen that before - they usually alternate. Maybe that's why it seemed busy.

But OJ and lemonade is the classic post-5-a-side football drink, just before you get on the ale. It's one of the few acceptable pub soft drinks and should be cheap.

Went to Iceland the other day and there was no ice.

Next to Winkworth.

Oh, and blinder's hacking cough is more likely from diesel particulates, from said taxis and out-of-tune trucks and buses.

"Motorbikes are churning out more pollution than cars, even though they make up only a small fraction of vehicles on the roads, according to a report." Well, they're not, because there are fewer of them. If you want a real polluter, how about the 22,000 London cabs which chug around all day long, giving out on average 265g/km CO2, more than a BMW X5?

What about 'diddycoy' or 'tinker'?

Yes, all 12 electric scooters in Westminster can park for free. A parking attendant, working under contract for APCOA or NCP or whatever, earning ?60/day will have paid for himself and be generating profit for his bosses and the council with his second PCN of the day. It's big business.