Pete Tattam

Just noticed that a lot of the post I was replying to has been moderated so apologies for long winded post which will baffle peoplewho have not seen the moderated post.

Fellas please don't assume that because a police car doesn't turn up within 5 minutes with a prisoner kicking & screaming in the back seat that nothing is being done. Police resources are at their lowest for decades and all calls must be prioritised. Unfortunately a suspicious vehicle doesn't rate as highly as an incident where an actual offence is being committed. If an uncommited unit is in the area they may well be searching the surrounding area for the sus truck but you won't be aware of it (although in an ideal world someone should call you back & tell you what has been done!). If the truck is found it will be stopped and the occupants spoken to. However if no evidence is found of an offence they must, by law, be allowed to go as soon as practicable. Modern policing is mostly "intelligence led" and the information gathered will be entered onto a database. If sufficient information is obtained search warrants can be executed at suspects addresses in order to obtain evidence and arrest/prosecute offenders. I know thats not much good with our friends without actual addresses but "rules is rules" and the police (regrettably) have to stick to them. So please don't slag off the old bill untill you fully understand the restraints within which they have to work. They really do want to catch the bad guy, it's just a very difficult thing to do, unless they catch 'em in the act, which in itself is very hard.

Those were the days when tobacco was used to aid clotting and Rizzlas substituted expensive dressings. Money was tight back then!!!

On sale every year at Bentley Wood Fair in East Sussex.

I worked shifts for over 30 years which included weekends (1 weekend in 4 off). I thought nothing of it at the time, "it's my job". Now I'm retired from that role, working with my boy. I realise how much of the kids growing up I missed and how much my wife did with them, they have mutual memories that I don't figure in. You don't realise how much that sucks untill its to late. My advice is don't use money or workload as a reason to work all hours. You'll never get that time back, there's more to life than money and if you've got to big a workload delegate it. You've only got one life.

You couldn't pay me enough to work on a Sunday!

I used to spend a lot of the time like this...........but I steer clear of Brighton these days!!!!!!!!!!

when I saw the title of this thread I was expecting a link to Utube showing a couple of lizards going at it with swords! I was so disappointed.

Of course! True, Truer, Truest like Blue, Bluer, pornographic!!!

Are the councils that are tendering all large municipal authorities? My local District Councils (as far as I'm aware) all use sub contractors for this sort of work. Yes they have parks depts/ street wardens and the like but they only seem to do very minor tidying etc. There is no slack for them to start tendering for outside work. In my town the volunteer tree wardens do all the small tree work (stuff that can be done with a Silky). Anything bigger the town council get in a contractor. I would have thought its only the big city/town councils that have the logistics to do this sort of thing.

I think its the same as the burger vans in lay bys etc the council license it (and raise revenue). Mind you I know of at least one person who sells from roadside unlicensed and has never had a problem. If you do it that way make sure you've done a good risk assesment! Some councils are more pedantic than others.

Just been offered semi-permanent loan of MS260 so happy as a pig in muck at the moment. thanks for advice

Thanks Spudulike but you may as well have been writing in Chinese 'cos I didn't understand a word of it! Obviously you need a modicum of engineering knowledge to do this and I very definitely don't. I thought it may have been a process that even a dozy idiot like me could undertake. Wrong again!

Your local authority obviously use the old system......common sense! Or is it just my councils who are really anal?

Usually same form for both though

I've read several comments on other threads about increasing saw power but don't know what is being suggested (sorry but I'm a simple sort). What is "porting an exhaust"?

Thats answered my question then! Thanks guys, very much appreciated.

I'm looking to buy a (very) cheap back up saw to cover any breakdowns etc. The local dealers cheap saws are Mitox. Anyone used one, are they butch enough? Any other economy makes worth considering? I know any of them won't cope with a lot of heavy work but it'd be nice to have a standby if necessary.

If thats right they really need a spin doctor to come up with something more exciting. Perhaps naming it after someone like the Beaufort scale and others are. Do you fancy the Pedroski Scale?

Who would decide the value of the tree? Would it be market value as timber or firewood, or amenity value (and how much is that?). Damage is a very subjective issue. What you or I consider damage is different to what a TPO considers damage (or a court for that matter!). My advice would always be play it safe and stick by the (their) rules.

We've downloaded the LA's guidance from their website and also Tree Preservation Orders A Guide To The Law & Good Practice (linked from LA website). We keep a hard copy in the van for reference at the time. It's also handy to show punters who pooh pooh the authority or severity of TPOs. Also got a copy of all the surrounding LA applications for TPO/ conservation area works so punters can see you ACTUALLY DO have to make written application for such works. Some seem to think its a load of genitalia just to add to the quote.

Ah yes my favourite Shakespeare scene......the three woodworm round the cauldron " fire burn and cauldron bubble. Hubble bubble toil and trouble. when shall we three meet again, in a lump of elder in someones attic"

The way the government are involving police in investigating things that should be left to other bodies (phone hacking, footballers saying nasty things on the pitch etc) there could be a firewood squad in the offing! Particularly if someone bungs a Scotland Yard senior officer a few quid!

I've never seen horizontal growing Redwoods!

His of course.............. I'd opted for culottes!