Window Cleaning News

Mitch Jacobsen and Tai Koenig remove moss from the roof of a home in north Seattle.

Even Seattleites Have a Limit for a Fruitful and Multiplying Native, Moss — There are many ways to measure the relentless precipitation and enduring gloom that have cloaked the Pacific Northwest the past few months. And then there is the evidence procreating beneath your feet, through your yard, up on your roof, down your gutters and into your dreams: the march of the moss. “The spores were really active this year,” said Robert Braid, caretaker of the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, across Puget Sound from Seattle.

When Mr. Braid speaks about spores being active, what he is really saying is that after a particularly rainy winter (thank you, La Niña) and now amid a particularly rainy early spring (thanks again), the atmosphere has been ideal for moss to multiply. And so it has been doing just that. That means this wet region is once again confronting its moss divide. “So many of the calls we get are from people who actually want to get rid of moss,” said Sue Hartman, who helps answer the gardening hot line run by Seattle Tilth, which promotes organic and sustainable gardening. “But this being the Pacific Northwest, moss is really kind of a native plant. I personally love moss, and my pals here at Tilth also love moss.”

Of course, moss and grass are not always at odds. Sometimes moss grows on roofs, then grass grows in the moss and an ecosystem is born. “We’ve just gotten more and more into moss because it’s been so much wetter,” said Mitch Jacobsen, co-owner of Better Window Cleaning Seattle. “There’s money in moss.” Mr. Jacobsen and an employee, Tai Koenig, were about to scale the roof of Ms. Corrigan’s two-story home on another drizzly morning in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. For about $400, the men would rake and clear the roof, clean the gutters and then treat the roof with chemicals to slow the inevitable regeneration of moss.

Ms. Corrigan said that she and her husband were having the roof cleaned mostly for maintenance, but that they also hoped removing its soft mossy habitat would discourage a pair of raccoons known for their own procreative endeavors — “rooftop romance,” she called it. Neighbors had taken notice. Photographs were well-circulated. “I don’t think they will like the rough asphalt,” Ms. Corrigan said of the roof tiles.

This push and pull between people and the elements here is constant but not always predictable. Mr. Jacobsen said his company often wrestled with what chemicals to use on roofs. While some residents have no problem with powerful phosphates, others who want moss removed worry about the runoff — particularly the increasing number of people who capture roof runoff in cisterns to water their vegetable beds. Then again, some of the newest “green” houses have roofs with moss deliberately planted on them.

Meet the Crew Behind Window Washer Rescue: Towson Patch visited some of the crew behind Thursday's rescue of Jim Hollands, the stranded window washer. Hollands was stuck dangling outside the 10th floor of the Edenwald retirement home in Towson after his harness slipped while he was washing windows. He spent nearly an hour hanging there until rescuers were able to get him down. Hollands was taken by ambulance to Shock Trauma with minor injuries. A police report states that Holland's "severe cuts and burns to both hands" were caused as he attempted to hold onto the rope as he was slidding down it. "... [Hollands] was going in and out of consciousness during the rescue." Crews from the Texas fire station in Cockeysville performed the rescue. The county's only Advanced Tactical Rescue unit, they are called to unusual rescues throughout the region, from pulling a dog out of Loch Raven Reservoir to searching for survivors after the September 11 attacks. See rescue here & update here.

Canadian Success Story, Men In Kilts, Launch First US Location in Seattle: Men In Kilts, a window and exterior building cleaning company, has taken their kilted lads down south. CEO, Tressa Wood comments, "We're very excited to bring the Men In Kilts concept to the US and open our first franchise location in Seattle; it's the perfect city to launch in as we begin our US expansion." Wood, a franchise executive credited with helping propel brands like 1-800-GOT-JUNK from $15 million to over $130 million in revenue, comments on the Men In Kilts' advantage, "The kilts are fun and they definitely help create an experience for our customers, but it's exceptional service that generates the buzz and growth we've experienced." Demand for Men In Kilts` services has been booming, even during challenging economic times. With two locations in BC and the new location in Seattle, expansion plans for the US and the rest of Canada are underway. "There's a strong market for our services, as our customers need to keep their properties clean and looking great." says Wood. Men In Kilts will be expanding to all major cities across North America, including Portland, San Francisco, LA and Denver. Wood continues "We can't wait for everyone in the US to start enjoying the exceptional service experience our Kilt Crews deliver." Men In Kilts was started in 2002 by Nicholas Brand with just $500, a rusty old Honda, and a hand-sewn kilt. Since then, the business has grown steadily and they have recently begun franchising, with three locations in the US and Canada. For more information on Men In Kilts, or to see them in action, visit the website here.

Plymouth Meeting condo manager charged in wide fraud: Limo rides, a cell phone plan for his wife, and a trip to a Florida nudist resort with his mistress are among the items a Plymouth Meeting condo manager is accused of buying with hundreds of thousands of dollars he allegedly stole from tenants. Now, residents at the Plymouth Hill Condominiums are wondering how they got stuck with his $586,000 bill. Police arrested Vincent Lopez, 66, of Quakertown, and three alleged accomplices Thursday, charging them with counts ranging from theft and conspiracy to forgery and fraud over a period of nearly a decade. Together, investigators said, they benefited from credit cards, bank accounts, and cell phone plans that Lopez fraudulently opened in the complex's name but used almost exclusively to benefit himself and his friends.

Irving Betoff, 72, whose Philadelphia-based Star Contract Cleaning allegedly overbilled Plymouth Hill for porter and window washing services and split the difference with Lopez, calling it a "consulting fee." That relationship continued until Betoff had siphoned off nearly $150,000 and Lopez $77,000, according to the affidavit.

Roosevelt Harris, 63-year-old president of Philadelphia & PA Fire Protection Co., who allegedly told investigators he had accidentally overbilled Plymouth Hill until Lopez told him to keep it and split the overage with him or he would cancel the contract. Harris purportedly billed Plymouth Hill more than $128,000 over six years. As of Monday afternoon, all three had been released on bail. None responded to calls for comment. Graham, the council president, described the half-million dollar loss as significant but not devastating to the tenants. Plymouth Hill remains solvent, she said. "We found it. We stopped it. He's gone," she said. "The council worked really hard to identify the problem and bring it to light as quickly and judiciously as possible."

“Working Man” is the first of three national TV spots that begins airing today. The spot shows a man juggling multiple jobs, from taxi driving to window washing to scrubbing toilets, and poses the question – How many jobs do I need to pay a cell phone bill? Boost Mobile offers this consumer a solution – the $50 Monthly Unlimited with Shrinkage plan so he doesn’t have to work overtime to pay his cell phone bill. The TV spots are directed by award-winning director Stacy Wall and will air on more than 20 networks and cable TV stations including ABC, NBC, CW and Fox. The creative concept comes from Boost Mobile’s advertising agency of record, 180LA which also developed the “Unwronged” campaign.

Family's distress at Scottish Water sewage 'nightmare': A Dundee family have hit out at Scottish Water for failing to fix a collapsed sewer pipe, which has affected day-to-day living in the household. Window cleaner James McIntosh (35), who lives at St Giles Terrace in St Mary's with his wife and four children, said that despite repeated calls to the public body, he has become increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress. "I spoke to someone at Scottish Water who said they would send somebody round this Friday but I told them they would have to be a lot quicker than that," he said. "It appears that part of the clay pipe running underneath the garden has collapsed and that is causing the sewage to back up and overflow in our bathroom. "I have tried getting Scottish Water to get this sorted before but they haven't. It's just not right." With the toilet frequently overflowing when in use, the family had fitted bin bags around the seat in order to remove the waste themselves. As an emergency measure, Drainco, who work as sub-contractors for Scottish Water, disconnected the bathroom drain from the main sewer pipe on April 8 when they visited the property. But as a consequence of this action, raw sewage now flows direct from the toilet into the back garden causing a nasty smell as well as a health hazard.

If you’re a creative type, you know that inspiration can strike at any time and at any place. Luckily for Foreign Legion, inspiration struck their video director, Behn Fannin, a few hundred feet in the air. “He also has a day job, which is window washing,” Prozack Turner explained. “So evidently, he was washing windows 20 floors up on a hi rise residential building in downtown L.A. while listening to [‘Son Of A Gun’] over and over. As he was listening, looking into all these different windows, he noticed an old lady sitting in her apartment changing the channels relentlessly for about 30 minutes straight, never stopping on a channel more than two seconds. As he was washing the windows and bumping the track, the lady incoherently was changing the channels perfectly on beat with the song in his headphones. Right there, the concept hit him and he began writing the treatment on his phone, on a platform several hundred feet above the city.” Fannin’s interpretation of that unidentified woman’s A.D.D. approach to channel surfing left Prozack Turner and Marc Stretch with a distinctive visual to coincide with the Tuesday release of their new album, Night Moves.

Fan avoids soccer ban for boxer shorts stunt: A football supporter who ran on to St James's Park wearing just his boxer shorts at an Exeter City home game was "egged on" by fellow fans, a court has heard. Nathaniel Maidment, 26, was visiting the city with a party of Yeovil Town supporters when he stripped down and left the stands before being held by stewards, Exeter Magistrates' Court was told. His solicitor Nicholas Bradley described the stunt on Saturday, March 19, as "half-time entertainment" and said his client "never dreamed he would end up in court". Prosecutor Sonia Oldakowska told the court: "Just before 4pm, the half-time whistle goes. Maidment comes on to the pitch, stripped down to his boxers and runs around the pitch for several minutes until he is detained." She said he had been drinking and a small amount of herbal cannabis was found on him when he was searched by officers. The court was told that the prosecution was seeking a football banning order, lasting between three and five years, that would restrict Maidment's liberty on Yeovil Town match days. Miss Oldakowska told the court: "There is a risk of disorder should he be under the influence of alcohol again at a football match." Maidment, a part-time window cleaner, of Quarry Road, Street, Somerset, appeared in court in a white shirt, pinstripe black trousers and brown shoes. He admitted going on to the playing area at St James's Park and possessing 0.15g of cannabis. Mitigating, Mr Bradley said Maidment was with his boss at the time who is a season ticket holder for Yeovil Town. He told magistrates Maidment can not afford to go to games regularly and he had paid £16 for his ticket on this occasion. Magistrates did not impose a football banning order. They ordered that he pay £100 in fines and costs.

Window washers and others who spend their workdays dangling from the side of high-rise buildings in Newport Beach can rest assured that, if something goes wrong, local firefighters are more prepared to help. On Wednesday Newport firefighters learned more about swing stages, suspended scaffolding—and rescue techniques at the Newport Gateway building. Firefighters last year had to help rescue two workers at a Newport Center building after their scaffolding malfunctioned, according to the Fire Department.

About a dozen small businesses in this community have signed up to support public workers through the Proud Ohio Workers program. The union AFSCME, the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, is running it. More than 400 businesses statewide are on board. Participating businesses sign a pledge of support and put a sticker in their window saying they welcome customers who are both public and private workers. It's a political statement and it's an economic statement, recognizing that many of their customers are firefighters, teachers and police officers. A window washer rubbed off their original sticker. They will not ask for a replacement. An AFSCME spokesman claims more than 90 percent of small businesses solicited sign up for the program. It is expected to continue through the November election.

Cambridge worker died after falling four-storeys from window: Human resources manager Iain Campbell had been working in a private meeting room in his office at the Westbrook Centre, Cambridge when colleagues said they heard a loud bang. Staff rushed outside to find the 49-year-old father of two lying face-down on the ground below a wide-open window. Mr Campbell, who who lived in Swaffham Bulbeck near Bottisham was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple traumatic injuries. At the inquest held at Lawrence Court in Huntingdon yesterday, Cambridge City Council food and occupational safety team leader Frank Harrison said the window from which Mr Campbell fell was faulty, as were others in the building. Two out of three restrictors designed to stop it from opening to its maximum capacity were broken and on the day of Mr Campbell’s death, June 8, there was a 1.3 metre gap between the windowsill and the window-frame.

But Mr Harrison stopped short of saying the windows in the 50-year-old building contravened health and safety work regulations. He said: “In my opinion, it is not safe to lean out from 1.3 metre and try to pull the window in without any kind of restraint. “This type of defect is common with this type of window. The restrictors are overrideable to be able to open windows fully for cleaning purposes, but it is not uncommon to have the restrictors damaged by the force of people not knowing how the window works. Newer windows are made to be more robust. “It is recommended that supplementary stays or restrictors are put on these windows to prevent accidental or increased risk in premises for vulnerable groups, but is not a legal requirement.” It was revealed, however, the window remains unfixed, though discussions are ongoing with the management company in charge of the centre. Ruling out suicide South & West Cambridgeshire coroner, Sam Bass recorded an open verdict coroner and appealed for the windows at the centre to be fixed.

Singapore - Details have emerged that British-born banker William Hart, said to be the head of sales at Bank of China International, was found dead after a two hour search along the Singapore River late Thursday, following what is thought to have been a 'dare' went terribly wrong. The banker, 37, is said to have been drinking with a group of friends at the rooftop bar at the luxury Fullerton Bay Hotel when he is believed to have climbed over a metal railing and glass barrier 100 feet up and fell to his death into the waters below. He is thought to have drowned. Around 200 people are said to have witnessed the incident. Although local police are still investigating the matter, the main theory is that the banker climbed over the railing after being dared to do so.

The case brings back memories of the the 1993 death of Garry Hoy, who was a lawyer working at Canadian law firm Holden Day Wilson. Hoy is said to have been keen to demonstrate to a group of interns that the glass in his firm's Toronto Dominion Centre offices was unbreakable. The lawyer, also 37, had apparently tested the indestructibility of the glass on many occasions before, having previously always bounced harmlessly off it. On this occasion, however, he threw himself through a glass wall on the 24th story and fell to his death after the window frame gave way, or the window popped out of its frame.

Waterstone trial delayed by appeal: Wayne County Circuit Judge Timothy Kenny today postponed the May 3 trial of retired Judge Mary Waterstone to June 7 to give both defense lawyers and prosecutors enough time to hear back from the Michigan Court of Appeals. Waterstone is accused of misconduct in office for allegedly allowing lies at a 2005 drug trial. She, two Inkster Police officers and the county's chief drug prosecutor were charged by Michigan's Attorney General with felony charges that alleged they tried to hide the fact that a witness in the case was actually a paid undercover police informant. The case already has been delayed by appeals that have gone as far as Michigan's Supreme Court. Karen Plants, Wayne County's former chief drug prosecutor, and Inkster Police Sgt. Scott Rechtzigel both are serving sentences in the Wayne County Jail. Plants was given six months. Rechtzigel got 90 days. Both have daily work release, Plants as a social worker and Rechtzigel to work in his family office and window cleaning business.

Police are investigating after thieves stole cash from an elderly woman following a distraction burglary. The incident happened at an address in Upper Road in Madeley at around 4pm on Thursday 7 April. The woman, aged in her 80’s, was hanging out washing in her back garden when she was approached by an unknown man. The man, who is described as being aged in his 40’s, of medium build with short brown hair and a slight Irish accent, claimed he was from Telford & Wrekin Council and had come to check her fence. He kept the woman chatting for around ten minutes then left. The woman thought nothing of it but when she came to pay some bills some days later, she noticed that an amount of money from her house was missing. It is believed that another person or persons entered her home while she was chatting to the unknown man and searched the property. It is believed the cash was stolen at that point.

Detective Constable Paul Stoddart-Crompton, who is investigating the incident, wants to hear from anyone who saw anybody acting suspiciously in the area at the time. He also wants to hear from residents who may have been approached by a man purporting to be looking for window cleaning work after the victim received a similar suspicious caller to her home the week before. He said: “The burglary took place at the time parents would have been picking up their children from the nearby John Fletcher School. The victim’s house is located near to the school so we would like to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and saw anything suspicious. There would have been a lot of vehicles around that are unknown to locals due to parents doing the school run, but if you saw anything that aroused your suspicions in the slightest, please come forward and talk to us.”

He added: “The victim received a call to her door about a week earlier from a man claiming to be looking for window cleaning work. The woman said she would like her windows cleaned then strangely the man left without leaving his contact details. “The woman looked along the road for him but he had disappeared and she said she could not see any vehicles with any obvious window cleaning equipment, such as ladders. “Police want to hear from residents in the Upper Road/Madeley area who have also been approached by this person.” The offender is described as being aged in his 40’s, of medium build with short brown hair and a slight Irish accent. He was wearing jeans, a blue/grey long sleeved top and bright red gloves, which was unusual due to the fact it was a warm day.

Three brave young Birmingham soldiers have lost legs in the last six months serving with the same Regiment in Afghanistan. Scott Yarrington, Tyne Rogers and Daniel Gill all served with the Irish Guards in Helmand Province. Today, Scott, who has lost both his legs, spoke for the first time about the incident, his injuries and his fight to recover. The young dad, who is from Streetly near Sutton Coldfield, stood on an improvised explosive device (IED) in northern Helmand Province on December 29. The married 26-year-old, who has a two-year-old son, was injured half way through his six-month tour with the Irish Guards. Scott (pictured) worked as a kitchen fitter and a window cleaner before joining the Army at the Birmingham recruitment office in 2005.

Red Sox executives today said baseball tickets must be kept affordable, especially with the sharp increase in sales by secondary market sellers like StubHub. "Keeping tickets accessible for families has to be your goal," Sox chief operating officer Sam Kennedy said during a panel discussion on the business of baseball. "For us, we focus on the primary market. What we're concerned about is selling out 81 baseball games in the year ... We have to keep our tickets affordable." But Kennedy did not mention the fact that the Red Sox have an official partnership with local ticket reseller Ace Tickets -- or that StubHub has a relationship with Major League Baseball to handle all of the league's online ticket resales. The crowd of business leaders assembled in the grand State Room overlooking Boston Harbor paused. Something about this response didn't seem to wash. As if on cue, a team of window washers descended outside to clear the floor-to-ceiling glass panels. The crowd burst out laughing. "There has to be an analogy here," said one Boston executive.

Angie's Advice: All-around guys come in handy - When Patricia Dreikorn has a project in mind for her Indianapolis home, she doesn't call on her husband. She calls a handyman. "My husband is 71," Dreikorn said, "so I call a handyman because I don't want him up on ladders and things like that." A home repair and maintenance service can be a great choice for homeowners who need help with smaller jobs, or for those who have a variety of projects. However, the recession has led more contractors to develop an all-around approach that includes home repair. A handyman can typically perform a variety of smaller jobs, unlike a general contractor, who is usually better for coordinating larger projects that involve multiple types of trades people. "If a customer needs a new rebuild or something of that nature, they shouldn't rely on a handyman, but a general contractor," said Sean McGill of McGill Handyman Service in Indianapolis. "A handyman service to me is somebody that can go out and correct a customer's issue at minimal cost."

Regardless of whom you hire to help around your house, check out the company's reputation, training, licensing and insurance requirements. "A lot of my business is word-of-mouth," said Jeff Flora, owner of Comprehensive Services in New Palestine. "What I always encourage people to do is get three different estimates and then check references." Dreikorn has hired a handyman to do a variety of jobs, including repairing a fence, fixing a bathroom leak, painting, pressure washing and staining a deck, repairing a window, cleaning gutters and sealing a driveway. "What you're looking for is somebody with a wide variety of experience," Flora said. "A lot of people I do work for might have a half dozen or a dozen items on their list. They need somebody that can do those (jobs) competently. If it's something I'm not very experienced in or don't think I can do well, I usually refer them to somebody else."

Here are tips for hiring a home-repair service or contractor:

Prep your home to help save money, especially if the handyman/contractor charges by the hour. For example, if there's an issue with your sink, remove all the items from underneath it.

Know what's included in the price. Ask if the company charges a flat rate or by the hour or if there is a trip fee.

Anything you can purchase or organize ahead of time may save you time and money.

Hiring a handyman may not be cheaper than hiring a specialized professional. A professional plumber may be able to diagnose and fix your problem much quicker than a handyman. If it is a complex project, you might need a licensed professional.

Handymen don't need to be licensed in the Indianapolis area, unless they perform construction, land alteration, sewer, driveway or excavation work. Then, they should possess a general contractor's license. They might also need to be licensed in plumbing or electrical work, depending on the scope of the work being performed.

"You're not legally able to do any kind of plumbing and electrical work that requires a license," McGill said. "Most times, those licenses come into play when you're hooking up to city utilities, but if you're putting in a new sink fixture or running a new supply line for the ice maker, you don't need a license for those things."

Antisocial behaviour crackdown under review: A police taskforce is reviewing the success of a campaign in three Angus towns against antisocial behaviour and drug abuse. The team of one sergeant and eight constables has been on the beat at Arbroath, Carnoustie and Monifieth for the past fortnight and so far they have arrested four people wanted on warrant and two people in possession of cannabis resin. The Tayside Police officers have visited known drinking dens, confiscating vodka, lager, alcopops and cider. They have also targeted antisocial driving, stopping 12 vehicles. One driver was found to have no insurance, and had his car seized. Another was caught using a mobile phone, and three other drivers were warned for minor offences. Working alongside Trading Standards officers, the team reported two window cleaners to the procurator fiscal in connection with licensing offences. Superintendent Ewen West said: “We work with many partners in the community and can proactively address and resolve community issues and gaps in provision.” Arbroath community council chairwoman Pat Millar said: “I am delighted the taskforce is back as they had significant success here last time round and made an impact on all areas of Arbroath.”

Glass falls from government high-rise in the Loop: Officials are investigating why a windowpane fell from a federally owned high-rise building in the Loop this morning. The 6-story-building located on the corner of South State Street and Jackson Boulevard is owned by the federal government's General Services Administration, said Neil Omansky, a GSA spokesman. The office building at 10 West Jackson Boulevard is currently undergoing reconstruction and is vacant other than the first floor which houses a restaurant, Garrett's Popcorn and a Jackson Hewitt tax office, said Omansky. Officials are working with the contractor in charge of the work to make sure all of the windows of the building as well as the facade of the building constructed in 1948 are safe, said Omansky. The window may have fallen during the evening and are investigating why the window gave way, he said. No one was injured, but the accident caused a sidewalk on the west side of the street to be closed and one lane of traffic on State Street to be diverted away from the broken glass, Kubiak said.

A glass panel at the arrival area of the swanky new terminal 3 of the IGI airport broke and fell while cleaning today but luckily no one was injured. "A portion of glass panel of one feet by two feet broke and fell down while cleaning working was going on near the immigration area of the arrivals," airport sources said. Confirming the incident, airport operator DIAL said that the a small portion of the glass panel broke and fell as the cleaning work was being carried out on a glass facade near the pre-immigration area of the arrival level at T3. No one, either the worker or the passengers, were injured in the incident, a DIAL spokesperson said

Toronto, Canada -  A pane of glass fell 15 storeys and shattered on the street in midtown Toronto just before the lunch hour Monday. A window at 2200 Yonge St., on the southwest corner at Eglinton Ave., somehow dislodged around 11:15 a.m. and tumbled to the ground below, Toronto Police said. The pane, which was about 1.5-metres tall by 1-metre wide, smashed and sent shattered glass across the sidewalk and the road. "Fortunately nobody was hurt," Const. Tony Vella said.  Amazingly, no pedestrians were hit by the shards of glass, he said. Neighbourhood resident John Lally walked by the building earlier in the day and couldn't help but think what might have been. "Certainly I wouldn't be standing here right now if I had been walking in the wrong place at the wrong time," Lally said. "Luckily it didn't land on anybody. But it's pretty scary to think what can happen on any given day at any given time." One vehicle was damaged by the falling glass and a section of Yonge St., south of Eglinton Ave., was shut down while the debris was cleaned up. Lally said he couldn't help but suddenly be more conscious of the thousands of windows high above the street and he found he was keeping an eye out as he walked about. "I think everybody down here is looking up as they walk now," Lally said.

Gosford city centre gets a new clean up: The sleeves are up and the mops are out as Gosford Business Improvement District leads the push to clean up the city centre. Tired of high vacancy rates in shops throughout the CBD, Gbid has initiated a campaign to help Gosford clean up its act. Manager Paul Brasch said Gbid had joined forces with Break Thru People Solutions and integrated service provider ACS to give the vacant shops a spruce up. “I had no idea the project would gain such traction,” Mr Brasch said. “Some of the shops are a disgrace, with mail under the door and cockroaches all over. “This exciting partnership project is a win-win for all parties,” he said. “Break Thru People Solutions will clean the windows of vacant shops and remove rubbish under the doors. “They will clear cobwebs and graffiti as required. “The idea is to clean up the shops, to make them more presentable to prospective tenants and reduce the shop vacancy rate in Gosford.” Mr Brasch said ACS had supplied all the cleaning equipment required as well as specialist training in window cleaning. “We sincerely thank our project partners who have helped make this project a reality,” he said. “We will now work towards making sure the project is a resounding success.”

A kerb crawler caught red-handed escaped the scene at speed with a prostitute in his van. Richard Carter, 58, refused requests from police to get out of his car, started his engine and mounted a grass verge to flee the officers. But police caught up with him when they knocked on his door at his home address and arrested him. At Bristol Magistrates Court, Carter pleaded guilty to soliciting a sex worker, possession of ecstasy, driving without due care and attention and resisting arrest. Andrea Edwards, prosecuting, said police were monitoring a known sex worker in Fishponds Road at 10pm on August 23 last year when the defendant was seen picking her up in his blue Vauxhall Astra van. He was then seen to park his car in a cul-de-sac called Bay Gardens and switch his lights and engine off. "The police officer approached and said 'open your door' and he responded 'no, I won't.' "The police officer tried to take the keys out of the ignition but he started the car and screeched away. The sex worker had no opportunity to get out. "He went up the kerb and onto a grass verge and past a police car at the entrance to the cul-de-sac, narrowly missing a police officer standing by the vehicle. At no point did he switch his lights on and he was eventually lost to sight. "On August 24, officers attended his home address and arrested him. In custody they found he had 0.43g of ecstasy on his person." Zoe Lash, defending, said her client was a self-employed window and gutter cleaner who needed his driving licence so he could pay his mortgage. She added that he had pleaded guilty to all the matters. Magistrates gave Carter, of Hughes Crescent, Chepstow, a 12-month community order with 150 hours unpaid work, banned him from driving for six months and ordered he pay £400 court costs.