View Full Version : not friendly biker places.
http://www.notbikefriendly.co.uk/
independentphoto
23-01-06, 01:54 PM
M6 Toll...............
................they what? Unbelievable that one. Bar Stewards.
Garry :evil:
What a great website - been whinging to then already!
triumph5ta
24-01-06, 11:52 AM
Petrol station - crash helmet thing: Remove your helmet to reveal thermal balaclava type thing underneath... "ahh, but the sign doesnt mention them..."
M6 toll, stash your money somewhere where it takes aaaaages to find it thus delaying everyone behind you. They may decide its such a hassle getting bikes to pay that they make it free....
Carsick
24-01-06, 12:00 PM
I once dropped about £10 in small change all around my bike while trying to pay, took 10 minutes to pick it all up then another few to put my gloves back on. By this time there was a huge queue behind me and rather a few impatient people. By the time I got through the toll the motorway was even more empty than usual, and I had a lovely 120mph romp all the way.
independentphoto
24-01-06, 01:45 PM
Petrol station - crash helmet thing: Remove your helmet to reveal thermal balaclava type thing underneath... "ahh, but the sign doesnt mention them..."
M6 toll, stash your money somewhere where it takes aaaaages to find it thus delaying everyone behind you. They may decide its such a hassle getting bikes to pay that they make it free....
Oh Yes! I like the mans' style :twisted: Reckon that you could be right about the toll money.
Cheers for the tip,
Garry :wink:
pretty sure the Toll is still £3-50 cars and £2-50 bikes (peak times).
I came down yesterday in a car and I'm sure that was still right. :?
(well worth £3-50 just to avoid J10-J8 on the M6 :evil: )
http://www.m6toll.co.uk/pricing/
It's a pretty nice road, and you have the option to use the M6 if you don't like the Toll, it's not compulsory. I do think £2-50 is too much for a bike, I used it quite a lot before they put up the prices, but there again the M6 can be hell when it's heavy traffic and raining and cold and dark and........ :roll:
Freeloader
24-01-06, 08:52 PM
Lets face is though...
...removing crash helmets in petrol stations is not a bad thing. It would be so easy to hide form CCTV etc. with a helmet and then hold the place up before getting away on a fast bike.
Lets face is though...
...removing crash helmets in petrol stations is not a bad thing. It would be so easy to hide form CCTV etc. with a helmet and then hold the place up before getting away on a fast bike.
tend to agree, there's been a bank raid by 4 blokes who made off on 2 bikes, and 3 robberies of late-night convenience stores by a biker in this area recently, so yes it does happen.
Lets face is though...
...removing crash helmets in petrol stations is not a bad thing. It would be so easy to hide form CCTV etc. with a helmet and then hold the place up before getting away on a fast bike.
thats not the issue with me at all.
its when they talk to you as if you ARE going to rob them that fecks me off.
or when there are being rude over the tannoys to you.
if im politely asked - no problems.
stewboy
25-01-06, 11:58 PM
AYE GEE .......welling ...simple ass....bunch of strokers!!!!!!!!!!![/b]
Ceri JC
26-01-06, 09:56 AM
Lets face is though...
...removing crash helmets in petrol stations is not a bad thing. It would be so easy to hide form CCTV etc. with a helmet and then hold the place up before getting away on a fast bike.
tend to agree, there's been a bank raid by 4 blokes who made off on 2 bikes, and 3 robberies of late-night convenience stores by a biker in this area recently, so yes it does happen.
True, but that's not really relevant to 99.9999% of bikers. Also, unless they're going to automatically lock the door if you approach it with your helmet still on, it doesn't make them any more secure either. No criminal is going to abide by the "no helmet" request/notices. So, they would have to "lock out" anyone with a helmet on.
The main reason garages seem to cite is that bikers ride off without paying if they don't remove their helmets. There was some stat in MCN a while back that actually, a higher proportion of car drivers driver of without paying, rather than bike.
People often say "it only takes a minute". Well, if you have glasses on and earplugs in, as I usually do, it takes a bit longer. Open visor, remove glasses. Undo strap, remove helmet. Put glasses back on. Put helmet hanging from wing mirror. Unzip pocket. Remove "pill box" type container. Open it. remove earplugs. Put the earplugs in the container, close container, put container in pocket. Walk in, pay. Come out. Remove container from pocket, open container, put earplugs in (this can take as long as a minute in itself if you want to do it properly and wait till they've expanded before putting your lid on). Close box, put it back in pocket. Put on lid. Do it up, put glasses on, close visor. There's also the aspect that if you're going to pay by card, you wouldn't normally need to remove your gloves, whereas when you need to fiddle with earplugs, of course you do. So, in total, I'd say it adds 2-3 minutes to each stop. If you're in a rush, it is a nuisance.
Perhaps more importantly, by agreeing to do it, you're kowtowing to the common conception that all bikers are hells angels/criminals and deserve to be treated like one. A petrol station attendant wouldn't dream of asking a Muslim woman to remove her Burka, what's the difference?
Also, if they tell you "it's against the law" to wear a lid into a petrol station, ask them under which section of which act? I'd be interested to know...
PoRk ChOp
26-01-06, 10:13 AM
A petrol station attendant wouldn't dream of asking a Muslim woman to remove her Burka, what's the difference?
Also, if they tell you "it's against the law" to wear a lid into a petrol station, ask them under which section of which act? I'd be interested to know...
Exactly!!! Well said buddy.
Spiderman
26-01-06, 10:26 AM
A petrol station attendant wouldn't dream of asking a Muslim woman to remove her Burka, what's the difference?
Also, if they tell you "it's against the law" to wear a lid into a petrol station, ask them under which section of which act? I'd be interested to know...
Exactly!!! Well said buddy.
Ah yes but thats covered by laws pertaining to religious rights and freedoms.
So the simple answer is to make Motorbiking and official religion and then all the clothing we wera will be of religious significance and no one will be able to tell us to take it off.
Cept Mrs Spidey of course ;)
my house was "not biker friendly" on sunday :( . went out for a quick spin round surrey (as yer do!) but it obviously was not quick enough for the mrs who has only just started talking to me again! i was having fun goddamit......
i like spidey's religion idea - that means i'll have to go to my regional biker church (boxhill) every sunday to maintain my faith! [-o<
Spiderman
26-01-06, 11:03 AM
my house was "not biker friendly" on sunday :( . went out for a quick spin round surrey (as yer do!) but it obviously was not quick enough for the mrs who has only just started talking to me again! i was having fun goddamit......
i like spidey's religion idea - that means i'll have to go to my regional biker church (boxhill) every sunday to maintain my faith! [-o<
Well i know i pray a lot when i'm on the bike :lol:
Surley that counts for something :D
sharriso74
26-01-06, 11:06 AM
AYE GEE .......welling ...simple ass....bunch of strokers!!!!!!!!!!![/b]
Yep they're just back after going bust bought my SV from mention aftersales and it's like your talking another language. Shmae really as they're only 2 miles down the road from me. Use Garozzo's for the SV and Boyer for the trumpet much friendlier
Jelster
26-01-06, 11:42 AM
I hate the idea of "having" to remove my lid when getting petrol, and have only ever had the problem once, and I won't use the service station again.
What you need to do is get 4 or 5 bikes all to go in (pref during rush hour) and then take a very, very long time about removing your lid, and kitting back up again afterwards.
The other option is just to ignore these stations...
.
andyaikido
26-01-06, 11:47 AM
Lets face is though...
...removing crash helmets in petrol stations is not a bad thing. It would be so easy to hide form CCTV etc. with a helmet and then hold the place up before getting away on a fast bike.
I worked in security at a supermarket with a petrol station for 3 years and had to deal with drive offs by cars every day but never had an incident with a bike. The petrol stations would save more money refusing to serve anyone in a pre-M reg Honda Civic.
northwind
26-01-06, 11:52 AM
People often say "it only takes a minute". Well, if you have glasses on and earplugs in, as I usually do, it takes a bit longer. Open visor, remove glasses. Undo strap, remove helmet. Put glasses back on. Put helmet hanging from wing mirror. Unzip pocket. Remove "pill box" type container. Open it. remove earplugs. Put the earplugs in the container, close container, put container in pocket. Walk in, pay. Come out. Remove container from pocket, open container, put earplugs in (this can take as long as a minute in itself if you want to do it properly and wait till they've expanded before putting your lid on). Close box, put it back in pocket. Put on lid. Do it up, put glasses on, close visor. There's also the aspect that if you're going to pay by card, you wouldn't normally need to remove your gloves, whereas when you need to fiddle with earplugs, of course you do. So, in total, I'd say it adds 2-3 minutes to each stop. If you're in a rush, it is a nuisance.
Why do you take out your earplugs? If you're happy to go into the station with a lid on and plugs in, why not do it with a lid off and plugs still in?
If you're paying by card, you can't really expect to be able to conceal your identity. If there's a fraudulent transaction on a card, the first thing the police and bank ask for is CCTV footage, and if the shop's allowed someone to hide their face in this way, they're likely to be found liable for the loss.
And talking about the burqa's a real straw man IMO, there's a difference between a fundamental religious belief, and a slight inconvenience.
TBH I just reckon its bad manners to go into any shop with your lid on... Don't get me wrong, it annoys me as much as anyone else when shops are rude about taking your lid off, but for me that's a different issue- the most reasonable request in the world can cause offence if the person behind it's rude enough.
Flamin_Squirrel
26-01-06, 12:05 PM
And talking about the burqa's a real straw man IMO, there's a difference between a fundamental religious belief, and a slight inconvenience.
No there isnt.
TBH I just reckon its bad manners to go into any shop with your lid on... Don't get me wrong, it annoys me as much as anyone else when shops are rude about taking your lid off, but for me that's a different issue- the most reasonable request in the world can cause offence if the person behind it's rude enough.
Totally agree with you there Northwind - I ALWAYS remove my helmet when getting petrol...
Flamin_Squirrel
26-01-06, 01:29 PM
TBH I just reckon its bad manners to go into any shop with your lid on... Don't get me wrong, it annoys me as much as anyone else when shops are rude about taking your lid off, but for me that's a different issue- the most reasonable request in the world can cause offence if the person behind it's rude enough.
Totally agree with you there Northwind - I ALWAYS remove my helmet when getting petrol...
Try commuting on the bike through winter, you'd change your mind.
northwind
26-01-06, 01:58 PM
And talking about the burqa's a real straw man IMO, there's a difference between a fundamental religious belief, and a slight inconvenience.
No there isnt.
Come on... To a true believer, to expose the face under those circumstances is a sin against god. Even if you don't accept the religion, it's unbelievably disrespectful to the individual to compare that with the small inconvenience of removing a helmet. I can see no parallel whatsoever.
Try commuting on the bike through winter, you'd change your mind.
Because obviously you're the only person who does that? I commute on the bike every day, in all conditions, and when I get petrol the lid comes off. It's just manners, to me.
Filipe M.
26-01-06, 02:08 PM
Try commuting on the bike through winter, you'd change your mind.
Because obviously you're the only person who does that? I commute on the bike every day, in all conditions, and when I get petrol the lid comes off. It's just manners, to me.
Agree with Northy here. Commute every day, ok the weather here isn't that bad, but I always take the lid off. Even if the guy behind the counter doesn't give a damn, I would if I were in his place... so...
Flamin_Squirrel
26-01-06, 02:14 PM
And talking about the burqa's a real straw man IMO, there's a difference between a fundamental religious belief, and a slight inconvenience.
No there isnt.
Come on... To a true believer, to expose the face under those circumstances is a sin against god. Even if you don't accept the religion, it's unbelievably disrespectful to the individual to compare that with the small inconvenience of removing a helmet. I can see no parallel whatsoever.
If having to be identifiable to CCTV in the name of crime prevention, then your beleifs are irrelivent. If you're talking about manners then you're right, they arent the same.
Try commuting on the bike through winter, you'd change your mind.
Because obviously you're the only person who does that? I commute on the bike every day, in all conditions, and when I get petrol the lid comes off. It's just manners, to me.
If you commute year round and choose to remove your lid, fair play to you. But my comment was aimed at Skip, who doesn't.
Spiderman
26-01-06, 02:31 PM
TBH i get more annoyed with the stations that say bikers must prepay for fuel than those who say take your lid off. :evil: Thats really criminalising everyone one 2 wheels.
I went into a KFC the other night on way home from Soho and only wanted some wings for a little munch. They cost 99p and i had the pound in my gloved hand and put it on the counter and ordered the wings.
He refused to get em till i took my lid off, i told him he was silly to ask such a thing but if he thought i was gonna rob him then i'd wait outside for the few seconds he needs to open the till and drop the coin in.
he looked like he was gonna say "no, take it off" so i went outside. He put the money in the till and i went back in. He was really embarrsed when i said its a big pain to take lid and balaclava off as it takes more time than getting the food does.
But like someone else said, if i had robbed him then their insurnace would prolly want get out of it by saying they didnt follow the agreed procedured of asking customers to remove lids or not serving them.
I think this has become a dead end issue tho guys....wasnt this thread about biker unfriendly places as opposed to biker unfreindly security requirements? :)
Peter Henry
26-01-06, 02:53 PM
I got asked to remove my lid when at my local swimming baths!? :? What's that all about then? :lol: :lol:
Flamin_Squirrel
26-01-06, 02:57 PM
I got asked to remove my lid when at my local swimming baths!? :? What's that all about then? :lol: :lol:
They were just being helpful in that instance. Wouldnt want soggy cheek pads :D
Peter Henry
26-01-06, 03:05 PM
Jordan:
Wouldnt want soggy cheek pads
:wink: Well done mate,didn't think of that! :lol:
TBH i get more annoyed with the stations that say bikers must prepay for fuel than those who say take your lid off. :evil: Thats really criminalising everyone one 2 wheels.
I went into a KFC the other night on way home from Soho and only wanted some wings for a little munch. They cost 99p and i had the pound in my gloved hand and put it on the counter and ordered the wings.
He refused to get em till i took my lid off, i told him he was silly to ask such a thing but if he thought i was gonna rob him then i'd wait outside for the few seconds he needs to open the till and drop the coin in.
he looked like he was gonna say "no, take it off" so i went outside. He put the money in the till and i went back in. He was really embarrsed when i said its a big pain to take lid and balaclava off as it takes more time than getting the food does.
But like someone else said, if i had robbed him then their insurnace would prolly want get out of it by saying they didnt follow the agreed procedured of asking customers to remove lids or not serving them.
I think this has become a dead end issue tho guys....wasnt this thread about biker unfriendly places as opposed to biker unfreindly security requirements? :)
so where the hotwings worth it ?
stewboy
26-01-06, 06:41 PM
AYE GEE .......welling ...simple ass....bunch of strokers!!!!!!!!!!![/b]
Yep they're just back after going bust bought my SV from mention aftersales and it's like your talking another language. Shmae really as they're only 2 miles down the road from me. Use Garozzo's for the SV and Boyer for the trumpet much friendlier
glad somone agrees....there close to me and the mrs stewboys place so would be handy ......still Hien gereke are just on the high street and the service is 1st class
northwind
26-01-06, 07:06 PM
I meant to say this earlier... I used to work customer facing in a bank, and from time to time a biker would come in wearing a lid... I always made a point of making sure it was me that asked them to take it off, because I knew that other staff would demand it rudely instead of asking politely. it's all in the way you ask.
If having to be identifiable to CCTV in the name of crime prevention, then your beleifs are irrelivent.
Not at all, it's a question of degrees. It's similiar to sikhs and hard hats/bike lids- it's reasonable to require that we wear lids all the time, because at worst we don't like doing it. It's not reasonable to expect a hardcore sikh to remove the (whatsit, turban thing) because it's absolutely fundamental to their belief system and self respect.
Jelster
26-01-06, 07:34 PM
Just don't use the fuel stations that want you to remove your lid. I hate it and won't do it, more out of principal really.
And back to the thread.... Isn't North Wales biker unfriendly ?
.
Spiderman
26-01-06, 07:59 PM
so where the hotwings worth it ?
Hell yeh but i should have got 6 tbh :lol: Must remember to keep a £2 coin for this fridays ride home.
If you commute year round and choose to remove your lid, fair play to you. But my comment was aimed at Skip, who doesn't.
Fair... :oops:
Still think I would tho if I did... Easy to say that when I dont, but....
Ceri JC
27-01-06, 04:35 PM
Why do you take out your earplugs? If you're happy to go into the station with a lid on and plugs in, why not do it with a lid off and plugs still in?
I've had someone (with elocution that a rural drunk with a cleft palete would be ashamed of) complain when I asked them to repeat themselves. They spotted the plugs and said it was rude of me not to take them out when talking to them. So, if I remove one (the lid), I may as well go the whole hog.
And talking about the burqa's a real straw man IMO, there's a difference between a fundamental religious belief, and a slight inconvenience.
I disagree. What if you're a devout aetheist (for the record, I'm not and yes, I spotted the oxymoron in "devout aetheist" :D ) and have no respect for religion at all? Should your personal security/right to life be threatened for someone else's religious beliefs? The reason why someone obscures their face isn't really relevant to me. If it's so important (personally, I don't think it is), there should be a law that stipulates you must remove anything obscuring your face (which of course, would get silly- what about beards, baseball caps, hoods, shades, etc.) before entering a store of any sort.
As to the argument about CCTV for card fraud, I recognise that you work in a bank and are likely to be in the know about this, but surely with the advent of chip and pin, this too is irrelevant? If someone has a nicked card, they'd just get the cash out of a cashpoint (with their face obscured in some way), rather than chance it in a shop?
TBH I just reckon its bad manners to go into any shop with your lid on... Don't get me wrong, it annoys me as much as anyone else when shops are rude about taking your lid off, but for me that's a different issue- the most reasonable request in the world can cause offence if the person behind it's rude enough.
That's part of my problem. I've never, not once, been asked politely to remove my lid. The polite people aren't normally the unpleasent, petty ones who want you too. It's typically a sour faced grumpy old cow who sees your lack of immediate complicity to the garbled "rwwwmvw wwur wwwmet!" over the tannoy as tantamount to robbery, who demands it as you enter the shop, which makes me all the more inclined not to.
If it's late at night and there's no one else around, I'll remove my lid without being asked, purely out of courtesy to avoid causing the attendant (particularly if they're female) any unease. That's what it is though; an act of courtesy, and not one I'm obligated to do all the time. If I'm clutching my tesco clubcard in one hand and my wallet in the other and politely waiting in queue, in the middle of the day, with a dozen people on the forecourt, only a fool would think I was about to ride off without paying and/or rob the place.
Ceri JC
27-01-06, 04:40 PM
I got asked to remove my lid when at my local swimming baths!? :? What's that all about then? :lol: :lol:
Have you seen the cold sore medicine advert where that girl goes swimming (as well as to a party and the office) in a bike helmet? :)
Flamin_Squirrel
27-01-06, 04:55 PM
I disagree. What if you're a devout aetheist (for the record, I'm not and yes, I spotted the oxymoron in "devout aetheist" :D ) and have no respect for religion at all? Should your personal security/right to life be threatened for someone else's religious beliefs? The reason why someone obscures their face isn't really relevant to me. If it's so important (personally, I don't think it is), there should be a law that stipulates you must remove anything obscuring your face (which of course, would get silly- what about beards, baseball caps, hoods, shades, etc.) before entering a store of any sort.
That's what I was trying to say :thumbsup:
Spiderman
27-01-06, 05:31 PM
That's part of my problem. I've never, not once, been asked politely to remove my lid.
There is a Thresers off license next door to the petrol station that i regularly use. I popped in there once as the forecourt shop didnt have what i needed and the slightly rock-chick looking girl behind the till said "I know its a pain cos i ride a bike myself, but would you mind taking your lid off. If my bosses review the CCTV tape i'll get into a lot of trouble. Sorry but i have to ask everyone who comes in to do it"
So nice, polite and fair. Cos she rides herself so appreciates the agro involved. Months later i went in there again, forgetting what she had said before, and she was just as calm and polite as the firt time. When i had the lid off she even said she remembered me and was that a new lid i had. :shock: It was too.
Weeks later as i passed the shop i was very very VERY gutted to see a big yellow Met Police sign outside asking for witnesses. You know the type.
Yup, there had been an armed robbery. :(
Poor girl, i hope she was off that day and it was someone else in there.
Point i'm making is that it'll happen no matter what effort they put into asking non crims to comply. Crims just dont.... erm kinda part of the job innit.
Peter Henry
27-01-06, 05:36 PM
Here in the land of the sun this is not an issue at all. I am sure drive/ride off's occur but this has not meant a carte blanche policy of helmet removal. 8)
Spiderman
27-01-06, 05:43 PM
Here in the land of the sun this is not an issue at all. I am sure drive/ride off's occur but this has not meant a carte blanche policy of helmet removal. 8)
When i lived in Las Canarias the attendants at the station would take your cash first and do the filling for you. In the major areas, like Las Americas in Tenerife, the pumps have buttons on the like 100pesetas or 500Pesetas or and you press the buttons until the amopunt you wanna pay is displayed, insert nozzle, pull handle and lock into place and go it to pay.
Pump stops automaticaly on pre set amount so when you come back out you remove the nozzle and off you go. So much easier.
imagine that in london :roll:
northwind
27-01-06, 06:14 PM
What if you're a devout aetheist (for the record, I'm not and yes, I spotted the oxymoron in "devout aetheist" :D ) and have no respect for religion at all?
As to the argument about CCTV for card fraud, I recognise that you work in a bank and are likely to be in the know about this, but surely with the advent of chip and pin, this too is irrelevant? If someone has a nicked card, they'd just get the cash out of a cashpoint (with their face obscured in some way), rather than chance it in a shop?
It's not about respecting religion, it's about respecting individuals. Pers'nally I'm right in the "religion is the opiate of the masses" class, so I've very little respect for religion, but I do respect the rules people live their lives by.
Here's a really crap metaphor ;) Remember the Farm? Rebecca Loos ************ the pig? That was OK, but it was just embarassing. Asking a devout jew to do the same would be a different thing, because for one it's just nasty, for the other it's a sin.
As for chip'n'pin, there's 2 reasons frauds will continue in shops. It's easier to make a fake card that's usable in a shop than it is to make one that you can use in a cash machine if you've phreaked the card details, is the main one, but the other is that small purchases are subject to a lower level of security checks than cash withdrawals. Also, you're limited in cash per day, while you can make more purchases.
timwilky
28-01-06, 06:28 PM
The only bank I have ever been to whilst wearing a helmet was the Abbey National in Leyland, Flipped up the front and waited in line. Half expected to be told to remove lid.
Nobody said a word. or was the fact I had joined the queue enough proof that my intentions were honest. If a service station refused to let me fill up without removing my lid I would simply go elsewhere. But to be honest I normally fill up at the card pay pumps at my local Asda/Tesco etc as that way I don't even need to get off the bike.
Remember they need your custom. if rude, take it elsewhere.
Last Action Pimp
28-01-06, 06:38 PM
I Used to work in a petrol station (one of my better jobs) and i only remember 1 drive off on a bike. it was a RS125 on 'L' plates with a pillion, but we stoped them and got their reg number and they got sent the bill.
I Used to work in a petrol station (one of my better jobs) and i only remember 1 drive off on a bike. it was a RS125 on 'L' plates with a pillion, but we stoped them and got their reg number and they got sent the bill.
the bill, or the old bill ?
:)
amarko5
29-01-06, 01:19 AM
never been asked to remove my lid up here in cumbria yet :wink:
however 1 petrol station asks you to turn your bike round so the cctv can read the reg before they will put the pump on :(
a small inconvenience as once aware you just enter on the other side :wink:
Peter Henry
29-01-06, 09:35 AM
They still using those hand pumps up your way Marko? :lol:
Anonymous
29-01-06, 09:52 AM
They still using those hand pumps up your way Marko? :lol:
Indeed they do, mostly operated by small children under the age of 11.
It is recognised in high places that, with the demise of the chimney and the difficulties presented by the balanced flue widely used in modern central heating boilers**, there is little demand for chimney sweeps these days. Therefore, to keep the young ones off the streets (and thus reduce their appearance in Government Statistics), many small children are used for this simple but meaningful task.
There are of course, regional variations: in Workington for example, where there are many out of work children, the efficiency of the stirrup pump is such that the operators stand idle for far too long (idle hands, the Devil's work etc etc), so a less efficient method is used to absorb the available labour. Hence the local term: "cuppers and spooners".
**In Carlisle of course, there is not much demand for central heating and many chimneys are still functioning, even after the recent Tsunami. Thus, the position of Apprentice Chimney Sweep is still highly sought after.
Peter Henry
29-01-06, 09:59 AM
Sir Boc as ever a finger on the pulse post. You really are the John Pilger of the ORG! :lol: 8)
Andy13_uk
29-01-06, 10:07 AM
in East Sussex i have never been asked to take my helmet off, though just incase i normally get money out or card before so i can go stiaght in a pay, i odn tknow why i do!!
andyaikido
30-01-06, 03:58 AM
They still using those hand pumps up your way Marko? :lol:
Indeed they do, mostly operated by small children under the age of 11.
It is recognised in high places that, with the demise of the chimney and the difficulties presented by the balanced flue widely used in modern central heating boilers**, there is little demand for chimney sweeps these days. Therefore, to keep the young ones off the streets (and thus reduce their appearance in Government Statistics), many small children are used for this simple but meaningful task.
There are of course, regional variations: in Workington for example, where there are many out of work children, the efficiency of the stirrup pump is such that the operators stand idle for far too long (idle hands, the Devil's work etc etc), so a less efficient method is used to absorb the available labour. Hence the local term: "cuppers and spooners".
**In Carlisle of course, there is not much demand for central heating and many chimneys are still functioning, even after the recent Tsunami. Thus, the position of Apprentice Chimney Sweep is still highly sought after.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
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