Contact our offices
Make an enquiry
Another blaze at a waste facility hit the headlines recently. The fire was at a Stockport recycling plant where bales of recycled material were stored before transfer to energy plants in Europe. The fire required a huge effort by Greater Manchester Fire and...
This was first published in the Wigan Observer. Q: I’m currently paying child maintenance to my former partner of my two young sons. I have heard that next year the Child Support Agency will come to an end and a new system will take its place....
The maternity units in Trafford, Rochdale, Salford and Bury Hospitals were axed in a bid to save costs. Yet, statistics illustrate there is an escalation in the number of babies being born in the North West. How is this justifiable? Midwives fear that if...
This was first published in the Wigan Observer, 27th August 2013 Q: My husband and I are considering divorce. As we’re both in agreement, I have been researching DIY divorces on the internet that claim they can provide all the paperwork for...
This was first published in the Wigan Observer, 27th August 2013 Property column by Tom Bridge, managing partner of residential conveyancing at Stephensons Solicitors LLP The number of first time buyers rushing to join the property ladder is at...
In this climate of sweeping changes to the landscape in which we are working one thing that sadly is as prevalent as ever is the issue of domestic abuse . A timely reminder of the effects on children as a result of them being exposed to domestic abuse can...
The Office of National Statistics has recently confirmed that the number of deaths from the viruses MRSA and Clostridium difficile, or C.diff, is continuing to fall. Deaths from MRSA fell by 20% from 364 in 2011 to 292 in 2012 and there were 1,646 deaths...
The Court of Protection heard the recent case of An NHS Foundation Trust v M & K [2013] EWHC 2402, in which declarations were sought by the NHS Trust that the man (known throughout as M) should not be given Intensive Care treatment or CPR should there be...
The Court of Protection has last week heard a case in which an NHS Trust applied for a declaration that it would be in a woman’s best interests for her to undergo a formal diagnostic examination for cancer, ‘despite her long-standing fear of...
Last week another difficult and controversial case came before the Court of Protection, reported in the Telegraph. The case involved a woman who was the subject of an arranged marriage to a man with severe mental disabilities. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough...
I was shocked to read that a 23 year old student is lucky to be alive after a New York taxi collided with her, severing her left foot last week. Sian Green, from Leicester had only arrived one day earlier and was thought to be enjoying some time with her...
We have been reading about a new area which criminal gangs are attempting to fraudulently benefit from a road traffic accident . Motorists are being warned about the new insurance scam they are calling 'flash for cash'. It’s said...
Former lovers and the PA of the late Michael Winner are in dispute with each other, and with his widow Geraldine, over the distribution of his estate following his death. Dinah May, who was Michael’s PA for 35 years, together with two former lovers,...
A young lady from Anglesey, North Wales, has recently been injured climbing onto railway tracks to retrieve her handbag. Kirsty Owen was almost sliced apart after being caught by the steps of a fast-moving passenger train, as it passed through...
Legal expert, Professor Andrew Ashworth, who advised the judiciary on sentencing between 1999 and 2010, argues in a pamphlet released by the Howard League for Penal Reform that thieves and fraudsters should not serve prison sentences. Professor Ashworth...
“Bankruptcy tourism” has become a familiar phrase. The trend for individuals from outside the UK to utilise the court system here to benefit from a more lenient bankruptcy regime has been well documented in the press. The trend continues...
I was saddened to hear about a lady who sadly died this week while on holiday in the Outer Hebrides. It has been reported that Rosemary Wickstead, 45, from London was enjoying a holiday with her husband and sons. Mrs Wickstead was said to be swimming with...
As I referred to in my blog yesterday, the second focal modification Professor Berwick has proposed within his report aims to tackle the ongoing problem of safe staffing levels in hospitals. The Professor has suggested that further literature is...
Professor Don Berwick, an international expert in patient safety, published a report on 6 August 2013 which follows in the wake of the Francis Report into the breakdown of care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. Professor Don Berwick’s report...
The BBC has recently reported of numerous breaches in data protection by Local Authorities in Wales during 2012. The information was obtained following a Freedom of Information Act request. The breaches included several cases of posting personal data to...
A recent article on the Telegraph website told of a couple who are planning to sue the police following an armed raid by officers at their home in the search for a gun which, in fact, turned out to be a TV remote control. The residents were apparently...
Last week, on August 8th 2013, for the first time a rioter from the 2011 London riots was evicted from their Council property. Jonathan Mason, a tenant of Wandsworth Council was evicted from his property. The eviction, coincidentally, took place...
When my sister recently decided to go on a post A-levels holiday with her friends to Magaluf, the first thing my mum said was “don’t be getting drunk and going on the balcony”. Sadly, for some parents warnings such as these have come too...
Recently there has been an issue that is slowing the house-buying process and making buying a home costlier than it should be. When clients of ours want to buy a leasehold property (e.g. part of a block of flats), we must, as part of the process, seek...
I was saddened to hear about the recent tragedy with a father who drowned on holiday. He is believed to have been trying to save his two sons after they got into difficulty in the sea at Rhosneigr Beach, Anglesey, when the two boys were swept out...
