Preparing for Floods

Please click here to access the Allianz flood risk management guide for businesses which contains immediate and effective actions that can be taken to minimise the impact of flooding.

Other good sources for flood planning information, whether it be for commercial or domestic properties, are the Environment Agency (EA) or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) websites.

Flood Forecasting, Warnings and Alerts

Both EA and SEPA work with local authorities to provide advice and information to the public before and during flood emergencies and can be contacted 24 hours a day via a dedicated floodline number: 0845 988 1188.

For coastal and riverside areas with a high risk of flooding, these agencies will also be able to tell you whether more localised flood warning information is available via dedicated telephone numbers.

Automatic Weather Alerts

To be kept further informed of both potential severe weather and possible flooding, you may wish to sign up for automatic alerts available from:
• Met Office severe weather warning email service
• EA's and SEPA's floodline warnings direct service

We hope you find this information helpful. Be prepared and stay safe.

If you would like any further information or advice, please contact our offices on 01384 375555.

European driving laws often catch UK drivers out if they’re not up to speed on the requirements of the country they are visiting. Driving law is subject to change and it can be hard to keep abreast of new requirements. For example, from July, motorists in France will have to carry a breathalyser kit in their car.

Drivers who are caught without a kit will face a fine of 11 Euros (£9) but there will be a period of grace until November before French police start issuing the penalties.

The single-use breathalyser kits cost around £2 and will be available at ferry and tunnel terminals for crossings to France. NF Breathalyser Kits are also widely available on the internet. NF is an approval process run by the French Government and in order to comply with the requirements of the new legislation, all breathalysers, digital or chemical, must be listed in the ‘Official Journal of the French Republic’. If it is not listed, it won’t be accepted by the French Police and you risk being fined.

Motorists are being advised to carry at least two of the breathalyser kits so that if they have checked themselves with one they can still show police they have a ready-to-use kit if stopped.

Police, however, will use their own breathalysers.

For further information on this and other regulations regarding motoring abroad please click here or call us on 01384 37 55 55 for further advice.

It is estimated to cost the UK economy £770 million annually. An almost unbelievable 15,000 tonnes of metal was stolen last year affecting business, transport, utilities and the general public on an almost daily basis.

Property has become a serious target with this crime affecting all types of property, both commercial and domestic, especially empty buildings and, in particular, those that have been vacant for some time.

The following steps may assist you when considering this problem:

• Undertake a thorough risk assessment of your domestic and
  commercial property; identifying higher risks that could be targeted
  by thieves is a good starting point. This process will enable you to
  determine what metal you have, where it is and how likely it is to be
  a target.

• Remember that metal theft can affect any part of your premises
  such as: roofs; cabling; boilers and plumbing; gates and
  fencing; and manhole covers. Thieves will take virtually anything
  with scrap value.

The next step is to take action to mitigate the risk and ensure that all high risk metal on your premises is better protected:

• Secure the perimeter
• Install an alarm
• Inspect regularly
• If possible, maintain good lighting around the property
• Reduce, remove or replace any metal where possible – replace 
  with  a  substitute such as non-lead flashing or plastic pipes.
  Consider if the overall level of metal present could be reduced.

Please contact us for further advice.

The visit was for members of the Chartered Insurance Institute’s (CII) New Generation Groups and was aimed to provide an insight into Government policy and how to influence MPs.

Harrison, who is part of the CII’s Insurance Broking Faculty, joined fellow insurance practitioners in a tour of the House of Commons and a presentation by representatives from key industry bodies.

Jonathan Evans MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Insurance and Financial Services, shared his top tips for engaging with Parliament and discussed the different roles of MEPs while Ashton West, Chief Executive of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, passed on his learning from a long-running campaign with the Government to clamp down on uninsured drivers.

Speaking about the event Harrison said:
“I found the whole day a brilliant experience, learning the history and tradition that we have in this country. With regard to the presentations that we heard, I thought it was fantastic to hear the things going on in relation to changing the industry and how accessible MPs could be if you have strong feelings about an issue and believe you know how and why it should be changed. It gives me great encouragement going into our project work that we can make a difference and change our industry for the better.”

Ant Gould, the CII’s Director of Faculties added:
“The New Generation Programme brings together some of the most promising talent in the insurance industry. By gaining understanding of the mechanisms behind Parliament and how lobbying and the reform process work, our members are in the best possible position to action positive change.”

The New Generation Programme, launched in autumn 2011, consists of four dedicated New Generation Groups across the CII’s insurance broking, claims, London market and underwriting faculties.

Each group comprises between eight and ten talented practitioners who have been nominated by senior management for significant achievement. Designed to help advance the reputation of the industry, the practitioners have been brought together to consider and develop new and innovative ways to improve their sector.

There may be a big difference between the insurer’s settlement figure and the original invoice price paid for your vehicle.

GAP insurance pays the difference, up to an agreed benefit level, thereby assisting with the purchase of a new vehicle.

For further information please click here.

The new rules apply to all vehicles whether owned and run by private individuals, partnerships or companies and include those on company fleets.

It’s a pretty substantial list but there’s one item which could mean big bills for thousands of drivers. If your car has any illuminated warning lamps, whether it is the airbag, seatbelt, ESP, SRS, ABS or others, it will soon fail the MOT.

If the car’s MOT runs out before 31 March 2012 and you have a warning light that needs addressing, the testers will treat it as an ‘advisory’ and will give advice on what needs to be done for the next MOT.

However, if your MOT is due after 1 April 2012, the warning light must be fixed otherwise your car will fail.

The AA has published a summary of the new rules and we would suggest that all drivers familiarise themselves with them. This will ensure that any faults can be rectified before the vehicle is subjected to the ‘new’ MOT and reduce the risk of a costly re-test.

If you think your car needs attention, we recommend getting it fixed sooner rather than later.

Should you wish to leave us a message or send an email during this time, please do so and our staff will respond immediately on Friday morning. In the event of an emergency, please call 07879 685 003.

We hope this does not inconvenience our customers too much and apologise for any disruption it may cause.

Thank you.

The met office has put together some essential guidance on what to do in severe gales.

If you’ve been unfortunate enough to sustain any damage resulting from the recent gales, please call us for advice.

Be prepared for the weather ahead and protect yourselves, your home and your business.

We will close for the New Year period on Friday 30th December at 5pm and re-open at 9am on Tuesday 3rd January 2012.

May we take this opportunity to wish all of our customers a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

It will be incredibly important to take all necessary measures to stay safe on the roads when the weather takes a turn for the worse.

For some essential advice on safe motoring, please click here.

Be prepared for the weather ahead and protect yourselves, your family and your vehicles.