Three Window Cleaning Updates For Wednesday

Hertfordshire window cleaner's award for chasing gang: A window cleaner has received a bravery award from Hertfordshire police for tackling an armed gang who were breaking into a jewellery shop. David Guest, 63, was cleaning windows next door to The Jewellery Workshop, High Road, Bushey Heath, in May 2010 when he confronted the three men. He chased them despite being threatened with a sledge hammer. Mr Guest has received a certificate of commendation for bravery for his "great courage".

Ch Supt Julia Wortley, of Hertfordshire Police, said: "Although we wouldn't encourage members of the public to confront offenders in every circumstance, especially if they have weapons, we are really appreciative of David's courageous intervention." Ch Supt Wortley told Mr Guest: "You acted with great courage and as a result, you prevented these criminals from achieving their goal, which was obviously to steal jewellery and other valuable items. "You stood up to three men who could easily have caused you harm, refused to back down when they threatened you and when they ran off, you persisted by trying to catch up with them."

The men abandoned the robbery and left empty-handed. Mr Guest said: "I'm very honoured to be given this commendation. "I acted instinctively and would do it all again without a second thought. "It was only afterwards, I realised what could have happened. I couldn't just stand there and observe when they were so blatant." Police continue to investigate the incident. See why David became famous.

A delighted Edward Meakins, a former window cleaner has expressed his relief at being allowed to stay in his family home of 74 years. The 83-year-old was presented with a had delivered letter from Barnet Homes on Monday explaining staff will not be pursuing action to force him from his Cricklewood home. The housing management organisation had said the bachelor would not be able to remain in the three bedroom property, in Cloister Road, after his sister Margaret died in May. But following huge public outcry, Barnet Homes backtracked, and Mr Meakins said: “I'm over the moon.

“At first, I couldn't understand whether I had got the house or not. I had to take it to a friend who said 'that's it, you've got the house'. “It means everything to me, I can't really explain it. After all these years of living here with my sister, I couldn't understand why they wanted me to more out. “It is not as if I had just come here, 74 years is a long time. It has been a terrible wait for me. I don't know how long I could have carried on really.” The letter to Mr Meakins, from Barnet Home chief executive Tracey Lees, said she recognised the pensioner “may be feeling a great deal of anxiety about your housing position”.

She then went on to confirm that if he does wish to stay in the home, then Barnet Homes will not pursue any eviction proceedings against him. Mr Meakins' plight, which was exclusively revealed by the Times Series, attracted support from thousands of people on Facebook, with hundreds more signing online petitions. And the former window cleaner said: “I am very pleased with the support I received. “To those people who have supported me, I am very grateful for what they have done for me. “It was lovely to hear about the support. Now I can carry on with my life, and continue looking after my garden.” Previous blog here.

Window Cleaning Platform 18-storey fall: Two construction workers, who happened to be siblings, died after falling from an 18-storey building in the capital's Motijheel yesterday. The deceased are Abbas Bepari, 32, and his younger brother Swapan Bepari, 30, of Muladi upazila in Barisal. They fell with a window-cleaning platform while using it to paint the WW Tower. This latest accident is a stark reminder of the gross negligence in safety measures for construction workers. Statistics show, more than 70 construction workers died in workplace-related accidents over the last six months in Bangladesh.



The window-cleaning platform hurtled down and crashed on to a steel case of a generator below on the footpath behind the building, narrowly missing pedestrians, said witnesses. The workers died instantly as they fell in front of the Wari Club. The iron window-cleaning platform, falling from such a height, also damaged windowpanes of the building, they added. Mohammad Sohrab Hossain, nephew of the deceased, said another worker Rokon was mixing paint on the roof while his uncles were painting the top floor perched on the rusty platform, which was hanging riskily at the rear of the building.

Our correspondent visited the spot and found the wires attached to the platform to be rusty and worn. Ziaul Aziz, who supervised the construction work of the four-year-old building, said Abbas Bepari provided the platform as he took the contract of painting the building. "Abbas agreed to complete the work for Tk 6.5 per square foot using his equipment and manpower while the authorities would be providing with the paint," he said. However, several workers denied this and said the old platform belonged to the building authorities and was lying on the rooftop for the last four years.

Shahjahan, a worker, said, "The platform was used during construction of the building, a fact which the authorities are well aware of." Officer-in-Charge Tofazzal Hossain of Motijheel Police Station said they were investigating to detect the cause behind the accident. Kaiyum, cousin of the deceased, filed an unnatural death case in this connection yesterday, the OC said. Sekandar Ali Mina, programme director of Safety and Right Society, an NGO working to ensure safety and workers' rights, told The Daily Star that a third of the total workers who die in workplace-related accidents are construction workers. He said 70 out of 175 workers who died in workplace-related accidents this year are construction workers. Last year, 100 construction workers died while the total death toll in workplace-related accident is 272. Recent Scaffolding falls.