FREE GAS DETECTORS AVAILABLE
Are you a Rainhill family with young children...?? Or are you aged over 65...?? You are entitled to a free gas detector from St Helens Council if you take up the offer of a home safety check.
The service is free and visits are made by prior appointment and the following areas are considered: - Tripping Hazards, carpet edges, door strips, electric cables and uneven floors
- Electrical Safety, portable appliances will be checked such as fires, kettles and electric blankets
- Carbon Monoxide, gas fires are checked for the emission of this deadly odourless gas (the silent killer)
- Safety of kitchens, storage of chemicals and sharp instruments
Child safety issues, water temperatures, storage of dangerous substances and stair safety.
If you would like a free Home Safety check and a Carbon Monoxide detector please contact Eric Riley, St Helens Councils’ Home Safety Co-ordinator, on 01744 675820 to arrange an appointment.
NEW LAWS IN PLACE FOR FIREWORKS
 A Voluntary Code to limit the periods when fireworks are on general retail sale has now become law. From earlier this year all retailers selling fireworks must register with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and only sell during specified dates. Anyone wishing to sell outside those dates must apply for a licence to sell all year round. | EVENT OR FESTIVAL | SELLING DATES | | BONFIRE NIGHT | 15th October to 10th November each year. | | NEW YEARS EVE | 26th December to 31st December each year | | DIWALI | DIWALI and 3 days before. 29th October – 1st November 2005 | | CHINESE NEW YEAR | NEW YEAR and 3 days before. 26th – 29th January 2006 | Anyone letting off fireworks after 11.00 PM and before 7.00 AM now commits an offence, with the exceptions being until midnight on 5 November and 1.00 AM on the day following New Years Eve, The Chinese New Year and The Diwali. Further offences include :- Ø Possession of fireworks in a public place by a person under18 Ø Throwing fireworks in a street or public place Ø Sale of fireworks to under 18 Ø Unlicensed storage of fireworks Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue and St Helens Council’s Trading Standards have joined forces to ensure that the new laws are complied with. If you know of someone who is selling fireworks illegally where you live - call CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111 
CRIME FIGURES FOR SEPTEMBER
In Rainhill last month there were two burglaries ( last month 2) and one attempted burglary. Car crime continues to be a real worry as there were fourteen cars broken into and one car stolen ( same as last month ). Lynn Carberry, Home Watch and Volunteer Co-ordinator has informed us that burglars and bogus officials are again operating in the area. Please DO NOT LET ANYONE INTO YOUR HOUSE WITHOUT CORRECT IDENTIFICATION
OUR SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER - RECORD NUMBER OF REPLY SLIPS RETURNED
Can we make a general " Thank You" to all the residents who took the trouble to send back comments, good and bad, concerning our village. Many of you were happy with the improvements in the shopping centre but issues are still there concerning the area around the station. We continue to fight for disabled access, and our present chair of the Parish Council, Cathy Wilson, has been relentless in her individual fight to get some progress. Illegal parking in the village is a real annoyance to very many people and we respectfully remind drivers that there are safety issues especially with disabled persons and children / young families. The village's own traffic warden has been instructed to continue to issue fixed penalty notices. Many residents noticed the dreadful state of the M62 island and requested some action. We were pleased to inform these people that major work on the island is soon to commence, hopefully making the area a pleasant "Welcoming First Sight" for traffic coming into the village. Anti Social Behavior continues to be reported around Chatsworth Rd / First Ave / Second Ave / Longtons Lane area and we have been working alongside the local police and community support officers to try to improve the situation.
IMPROVING SAFETY AT ST BARTHOLOMEWS SCHOOL
Your Labour councillors Joe DeAsha, Mike Doyle and Steve Glover have been concerned for some time about the speed of traffic and the danger for pedestrians crossing the Warrington Road. Some years ago we managed to have the speed limit reduced to 30 miles per hour outside Rainhill High and recently St Helens Council spent £10,000 on its “Safer Routes to School” programme. Our two lollipop persons have done a tremendous job in assisting the safety of our children and parents in crossing the Warrington Road. However, in recent weeks, the lollipop person outside St Barts decided to retire. Your Labour councillors immediately made representation to St Helens Council requesting consideration of a puffin controlled crossing as the only long term solution. We are pleased to report that the council have agreed with our suggested solution and will install the controlled crossing towards the end of October 2005. We believe it will make a big difference to our childrens and parents safety but would urge parents to ensure that they take care in their parking. Remember, it is all of our responsibility.
CAN YOU HELP ???
We are aware that at least one white van is illegally taking residents recycled waste in the Rainhill area. Several residents have reported these incidents to us and we would like your help to stamp it out. We believe that paper, but most often clothing material for recycling, is the usual target. Residents tell us that the van usually appears just after dawn and "swoops" on a area on recycling day when there is very little traffic and pedestrian movement, and hurridly fills the vehicle and gets away within a few moments. Council officers in St Helens Council are aware of these thefts and would take action if they had details, especially registration marks and times. You can help by telephoning me, Cllr Glover, on my number, an answer-phone is also available, or alternatively email me. I would be happy to pass on any details you have. St Helens Council uses the revenue saved by recycling to improve services, or maintain the ones we already have, ultimately helping to keep local council rates as low as possible. These early morning rogues ARE COSTING US ALL MONEY.
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