July 2007
If water run-off from a road has always drained into a nearby marsh or stream, I presume that a landowner has no right to block that drainage and as a result create a permanent flood in the road.
But what happens if that situation newly arises because of increased rainfall?
A road near us has always been bordered by a marshy field on one side, and a dry field on the other. The raised bed of the road separates the two.
Increased rainfall over recent years has now raised the water level in the marsh, and the water flows across the road into the dry field. Last year the council dug a ditch to encourage this process. This year the farmer, obviously angry at the council action in deliberately flooding his field, has blocked the hole in his bank, so restricting the water to the road.
The result is a ford, about a foot deep and 20 yards long. It arose before all the recent rain, so is likely to be permanent. Farmers with tractors and LandRovers don't care, but other users now have to make a detour of several miles.
Does anyone know the likely legal position with regard to the "right to flood"?
Read more
In today's Motoring Telegraph, HJ implies that he likes digital speedos. I don't; I much prefer the analogue pointer in the same way that I like my ancient clockwork watch. I believe that I can more readily see my approximate speed by the position of the pointer on the dial than trying to read stylised digital figures. What do you prefer? I think digital speedos are a gimmick and manufacturers know this. Mrs H's C3 has a digital speedo and analogue tacho. So do many motorcycles. Why an analogue tacho? Because it's easier to read. Case dismissed. Next.
Doubtless in cars of the future my ignition key security card will determine the type of display I get as soon as I enter the car.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land Read more
A lddle bit of both !
It has been suggested that the reason one of my tyres has started going down is that the alloy has become porous and that I should have it refurbed or buy new ones.
This sounds like rubbish to me. I think its more likely that the weight they fitted is disturbing the seal of the tyre against the rim. I fail to see how a 'refurb' would alter the properties of the metal even if there were porosity (which I don't believe)
Am I being over cynical? Read more
>>Anyone remember the Austin Allegro Equipe
Erm yes,I wrote one off,tyre went flat in the wet on a steep bend and a lamp post jumped into my front
how many different types of wheels are in production, what wheel will fit what other makes of car?is there a general rule of thumb or is it a bit scientific? for eg will a ford (4 stud) fit on a vauxhall of a similar size and so on... thanks Read more
IIRC I or some one else asked a similar question a while back, someone replied with a link to a site that did state which brands of car wheels were compatible with other brands.
Sorry can't remember the link but I'm sure someone will come along shortly with it, I think it could be one of those sites that sell tyres and alloys.
My CR-V was supplied with 2 'plip' keys with remote locking and alarm set/unset. A while back I bought a spare 'plain' key, the cost of which was not trivial (it still has to be coded for the immobiliser). Some time afterwards I discovered that one of the 'plip' keys would no longer start the car. I assumed that the code had got out of sync and eventually called at the dealer's to get it recoded.
Turns out that the car can only 'learn' 2 keys - so when the new plain key was coded, one of the others was deleted. Now it is reinstated, I'm told the new plain key won't start the car!
I am pretty annoyed that this wasn't pointed out when I ordered it.
Is it me or is this a mad bit of design? Can there be a good reason for it? Read more
Hi Posters,
Just checking before I go ahead to buy a fault code scanner for the RAV4 2001 model. Is the RAV4 has the OBDC 2 compliant diagnostics?
Also is the electrical connectors universal? I think the scanner about ot buy is 21 pins. Its on eBay for around £60, is it worth it?
Thank you for your help.
Regards,
Perfect. Read more
Forgot to ask, is it the PWM or the ISO I need to buy from www.gendandirect.co.uk ??
HJ's column in Telegraph today includes a reader whose VW main dealer told him a 2 year old Sharan needed all pads and discs replacing "urgently" at cost of £462. He drives 1,000 miles a month and was suspicious abt the suggestion that the discs were "wearing thin". At KwikFit they said the discs were fine and changed the pads for £157. Who can we trust, asked the reader. By the same token, if a builder says you need a £800 job done on your property, and it turns out to be an gross exaggeration, does this amount to attempted fraud - a criminal offence? Any test cases, perhaps? Question for our legal eagles, I guess. Read more
I've had good and bad service from garages, and now I stick to one trusted mechanic who looks after all the family's cars and is absolutely on the level. It's the same in the I.T. trade where those of us who know what we're doing are constantly tarred by muppets like PC World. You just have to roll with it and prove you're better by your actions - the truth always comes out in the end, and uncovering bad business always does favours for good business.
Have a look at today's Sun and you will see that some youths have been arrested for dropping an 18 inch slab from the top of a dual carriageway overbridge and killing the driver of an articulated truck passing under. Firstly our sympathies to the family of this unfortunate driver. It apparently happened at 4.15am on a downhill stretch of the A45 at Wellingborough, Northants. Fortunately it appears no one else was hurt which is amazing, because this is a busy road and the thought of an uncontrolled hgv at 60 mph downhill is awful. What are the panels printable thoughts. snip Read more
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/northamptonshire/69187...m
Link to the BBC news report. The epitome of a balanced report. Everything's in there. No need to discuss further on here. Thread locked. Open a discussion on the risks of driving under overbridges by all means but any reference to this case and it's binned.
The knife has been wielded big style on this. The Back room is not a quasi-judicial "panel"
PU
My brother has just bought a Fiat Croma (120 bhp diesel version) and wishes to know if there have been any recalls on the car. Where would he go to find out? He hasn't much faith in the local dealer and I can't find any details on this site. Read more
A good analogy with the Mondeo, as I have just returned from a holiday to Lake Como and saw very few Fords at all. This has been my experience in Italy before. I saw lots of Mercs, BMWs, Audis, VWs, Renaults, Fiats and Lancias, of course and even quite a few Citroen C3s (with Italian plates).
We hired a Lancia Musa Multijet automatic and very pleased with it we were too. The little engine and the gearbox were very impressive. I assume it is the Lancia version of the Fiat Idea?
Hi all,
my Daughter has purchased a Toyota Import above with the 8 seats.
The problem we are having is fitting two baby seats in the car, the original seat belts seem too short, I purchased a couple of extenders off of Ebay, but the couplings did not fit, although the idea was brilliant.
Has anyone else come across this, any answers, is it legal to sell these cars under the "not fit for purpose", or what?
Any help as always would be much appreciated, thank you and Regards. Read more
the centre lap-belt has a different size of buckle to the neighbouring lap-and-diagonal belt to prevent them being mixed up - maybe this is the souce of your problem?
Browse
Likewise Cliff under Highways Act 1980
Section 100.
Drainage of highways.?
(1) The highway authority for a highway may, for the purpose of draining it or of otherwise preventing surface water from flowing on to it, do all or any of the following:?
(a)
construct or lay, in the highway or in land adjoining or lying near to the highway, such drains as they consider necessary;
(b)
erect barriers in the highway or in such land as aforesaid to divert surface water into or through any existing drain;
(c)
scour, cleanse and keep open all drains situated in the highway or in such land as aforesaid.
(4) If a person, without the consent of the highway authority, alters, obstructs or interferes with a drain or barrier which has been constructed, laid or erected by the authority in exercise of their powers under subsection (1) above, or which is under their control, then?
(a)
the authority may carry out any work of repair or reinstatement necessitated by his action and may recover from him the expenses reasonably incurred by them in so doing, and
(b)
without prejudice to their right to exercise that power, he is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding three times the amount of those expenses.
dvd