Angelina

It's very hard to say no to someone who has a convincing story - and you don't actually ever know if it's real or not. I suppose you just go with what you feel comfortable with at the time and try not to beat yourself up about it later. It's human nature to want to help people and we shouldn't suppress that just because there are scumbags out there who take advantage of other people's kindness.

It is an idea, but surely the solution would be to have more police?

possibly, but maybe they did and they just haven't been looking at the Forum. The thing is, they are so believable and they appeal to your good nature which is why you are validating the con to yourself. When my mum got caught, she really believed that the lady would bring back the ?10 she had borrowed and couldn't believe someone would lie that well.

it will be his downfall.

That's exactly what it is - easy pickings. The question is - what is happening to protect ourselves and get this stopped? Unacceptable and deafening silence from our counsellors and mayor....(other than 'Call 999').

Even our industrial one at work jams if you put too much paper in. It does have a reverse button though, which is great and maybe a feature worth exploring.....

ask them to specify the documents they need. Corgi registration is the plumber's qualification. Is the one you used Corgi registered? There should be no requirement for them to be VAT registered, so that's nonsense. You can provide an invoice if plumber has charged you.

Thanks Mrs D. That also sounds fab. We're going to check them out this week!

Presumably your plumber is qualified, in which case there should be no problem getting an official report on headed paper or with his name and details. I hope it clearly shows the source of the water as being external to your flat. You also need to list the damage to your flat and costs related. You may need to force Southwark to act and then do a claim against them for damages incurred. Keep detailed records of all communications (even attempted comms where they didn't answer phone etc), who you spoke to, time, etc...

That's just awful. I hope he's ok. What a nasty bunch of bullies. No, Penguin, we don't all reminisce about happy crime-free good old days, we all care and are livid this is happening now - to us and to our children.

Report it to the police DV team and get a reference number. If you hear it again, call it in immediately. It doesn't need to be said how important it is. You could save a life, as it only ever gets worse. I hope there are no children involved.

done ! thanks for sharing - very easy to follow proposals and a simple questionnaire to complete - ten mins max

other people are posting things today - so, just get in touch with admin

Good. It bloody well should be in the news. Wait until the read the posts about the machete attacks. We're lucky to have a local forum where we can share experiences, otherwise it would not be common knowledge and we would not know what's happening in our own community and the risks to watch out for.

thanks Dom!

We had a lady last week. She had an ipad/ tablet. She was very pleasant. She introduced herself through the door, offered identification and left information for us to provide follow up information.

Thanks RH. I'll get in touch. Much appreciated.

My daughter is keen but we haven't found a club she can join - doe sanyone go and have any contacts please? Thanks Angelina

That's horrible. Terrifying to think that cyclists are being ambushed - worse still, during daylight hours.

I've not tried adding honey, but my friend also does it and I fully intend to. I tend to add a couple of spoons of chocolate spread to fruit bread, which is fab but the other end of the 'healthy' scale....! (not Nutella, I prefer the M&S version)

glad you were taking precautions Teddyboy23

I've got a Morphy Richards Fast Bake. I do use it and it is easy. It makes loaves in an hour. It's really easy to use...I imagine they all are. I would just think about the money you want to spend and them check reviews for models that are in your budget.

Holland were playing Jamaica so we decided to fly over (mental day!). What a ball! Not even particularly liking footie much, it was great fun - almost everyone was wearing the colours and all the pubs were decorated. #why-am-I-in-London?#