Electric Hose Fathers Day Wind Up

The PowerUp hose & reel from Waterworks impresses Brads Dad.

HOSE LAUGHING NOW? Dad is delighted with his generous Father’s Day present from his son – but there’s a catch. Serial prankster Brad Holmes is at it again - and this time it's his window cleaner dad who's on the receiving end. Brad Holmes is at it again – and this time, it’s his dad who’s copped the short straw.

In a video posted to his Facebook page, Brad, 24, presents his father with a generous gift for Father’s Day. He explains to his unsuspecting pa that the “first electric hose-reel wind up thing” from Waterworks Window Cleaning is meant to help him with his work. Brad says: “As it’s Father’s Day I thought I’d treat you, make your life a bit easier.”

Chuffed to bits with his new toy, Brad’s dad exclaims: “B****y hell, that’s cool as you like isn’t it? Thanks mate.” After he’s had a play, the pair then climb into the front of the van, where Brad’s dad thanks his son again for his kind gift. He gushes: “It’s f*****g handy that, going to make my job 20 times f*****g easier, you know that don’t you?

“F*****g brilliant. Didn’t have to get that though, could have just got me a card, that would have been alright.” Brad tells him it worked out at around £349 plus vat, to which his dad replies: “You soppy c*** you didn’t have to spend that much did you?” It’s then Brad drops the bomb that he didn’t. When his confused dad asks who did, Brad explains: “You paid for it.” He then informs his furious father that he used his credit card, warning him: “You shouldn’t leave it lying around.”

Incensed, Brad’s dad goes off on one of his infamous sweary rants, calling his son all the names under the sun. It’s only at the very end that Brad puts him out of his misery, telling him: “I’m joking you p****, I got it.”

Brad’s videos, which often features his dad and his girlfriend Jenny, have a huge online following.

Last month, Brad played a cruel trick on Jenny which involved rubbing chilli on her tampon during her time of the month. Despite the cruel stunt receiving over 19,000 likes and 12,000 comments, the ruthless trick sparked outrage, with many accusing Brad of over-stepping the mark.

Lucky Escape For Window Cleaner As Van Is Stolen

Window cleaners Steve Conboy , 39 , and step son Ben Mather , 19 , whose van was stolen while they were working on a job The incident that happened in Reddish near to their home on Crterion Street in Reddish. Click to enlarge.

Window cleaner left hanging after thieves steal his van: Thieves stole a window cleaner’s van – while he was hanging off the back holding onto a hose. Ben Mather was still attached to the back of his stepfather Steve Conboy’s white Ford Transit by a water hose when it was stolen in Reddish. The 19-year-old managed to unhook himself from the equipment as it unravelled as the driver sped off. The incident happened at about 10.30am on Monday on Wentworth Road as Ben and Steve, who owns SWS Cleaning Services, were doing their rounds. The theft happened when Steve went briefly to speak to Ben at the rear of the van. Neither had chance to get a look at the driver. Police arrived on the scene shortly afterwards but the van has yet to be recovered.

Steve, who lives on nearby Criterion Street, says his livelihood has been severely affected by the theft. He said: “Ben was still attached to the van. He could have easily been killed. It’s only just sinking in now. I couldn’t believe it. “Everything was in that van, all the equipment, poles, water tanks, my house keys, customer lists. “I saved for seven years to buy the van. “I’d only had it six months so it didn’t have signage on yet. It was in pristine condition. “Everyone knows us around here, I’ve been going for 11 years. “The insurance company can’t do anything yet because the van hasn’t been recovered.” Steve is offering a £500 reward for the safe return of the van. Its registration number is E008NUH.

Wentworth Road, scene of the robbery.

One Window Cleaner Pulled, Another Stuck

Window cleaner hurt after car runs over hose on St Giles, Norwich: A window cleaner was injured when a hose became trapped under a car. At 6.50am on Wednesday the man was cleaning windows on St Giles Street when a dark-coloured car ran over the hose, pulling the reel from the back of his van. He was knocked to the floor and he injured his shoulder. The car drove off and officers want to speak to the driver. Calls should be made to PC Pearce on 101.

Window washer briefly stuck on downtown Norfolk building: A man was briefly stuck outside the 13th floor of an office building in downtown Norfolk Friday morning. The man was washing windows on the USI building on Main Street when he apparently got stuck. Norfolk Fire and Rescue crews went to help, but the man had gotten himself to safety by the time they arrived, Battalion Chief Harry Worley told WVEC.

Window Cleaner Busted For Leaving Tap On

On the sidewalk Monday by the post office on Federal Street on the North Side, water gushes from a window washer's unattended hose.

Think about waste involved in runoff of valuable water (Diana Nelson Jones): This is just plain wrong. Look at this hose. I passed it in front of the post office on Federal Street and South Commons on the North Side/North Shore Monday morning. A man was washing the post office windows with a squeegee, and water from this hose was flowing down the sidewalk and into the street. This is water that Alcosan treated that's right back into its system for treatment. This water was completely wasted. The cost of treating it was wasted. We keep paying that cost and we keep wasting. People complain about being nickel-and-dimed but blithely go about wasting and witnessing waste without even thinking, much less thinking about the incredible amounts of money this heedlessness costs us. The costs become exponential over time.

I was going to ask the window washer why the hose didn't have a shut-off valve, but at that moment, a man greeted him and they started talking. I didn't want to embarrass him in front of someone. Over the years, as I have passed that post office and its huge sweeping curve of sloping sidewalk, I have thought: This would be a great place for a rain garden. Storm water washes around that curve right into the street. A rain garden on a patch of that sidewalk could intercept a lot of it.

Later that morning, I received an email announcement from the county about the Allegheny Green initiative that county Executive Dan Onorato started in 2009, when the four planters in the courthouse courtyard were turned into rain gardens. The downspouts that had drained into the city's sewer system now divert rain water into the planting beds, and the planters are filled with drainage material and drought-tolerant native plants.

The county has placed signs that identify and tell you something about the 30 native plants. The signs have QR barcodes that, if you have a smart phone, you can scan for more information. The news release tells that a rain garden should be composed of native plants that tolerate the pooling of water as well as periods of drought, and goes on: "The cost to develop a rain garden is normally $6-$8 per square foot and provides increased value to homes and businesses." Two inches of rain on a roof can result in more than 600 gallons of water rushing through downspouts and into sewer systems. As little as a tenth of an inch of rain can cause combined sewers to overflow.

Then there's pavement. There is permeable surface material out there, but we continue to pave things with the old asphalt, so the oil under your car and the soap that cleaned it and everything else that is lying on the streets contaminates storm water that flows into storm and sanitary sewers and local streams. The county executive affirmed that "green infrastructure is a key component of storm water management" and that "we must come together as a community to address the issue."

Yes, DanO, we must. So I address this directly to you: Would you call the post office and ask them to get a hose valve for their window washer? As the guy who committed the Allegheny County Office Building to being the county's first green-roofed public building, you have more clout than I.

As for the rest of us: If you are one of those people who let the water run when you aren't using it -- washing the car, brushing your teeth or squeegeeing a window -- think of how you would feel if, say, a $10 bill blew from your hand off the bridge and into the river. If I am not speaking to the choir as you read this, just think about it. Just give it a little thought. In the end, no matter who is paying the bill -- the post office this time, your employer next time, or you -- it's all the same. We all lose when we waste.

The last flood on Federal Street, March 1904

Window Cleaning Innovation Award Goes To Aqua-Dapter

The Aqua-Dapter has been a major success in the Water Fed Pole market, both in the UK & abroad. See here & here for previous blogs. Or alternatively add "Aqua-Dapter" into the search bar in the top left corner.

Paul from Aqua-dapter gives us the take on the Cleaning Show at the NEC in Birmingham: "The build up to the Show was incredibly busy for us." "As you might imagine there were some narrowly avoided last minute disasters, but on Monday afternoon we got the stand ready."

 Was it worth it?  "YES!"

"By all accounts, we were one of the busiest stands, which was great, but not the main reason why we’re counting the Show as a great success…" "On Tuesday, after the Show had closed its doors, the ceremony for the Innovation Awards 2011 took place."  "Out of the 97 entries, 48 had been short-listed." "The awards honour pioneering innovation by manufacturers and suppliers in the cleaning industry." "Finalists were chosen by a panel of recognised experts from all sectors of the cleaning industry and awards given to twelve category winners, and ONE overall winner." "The short-listed finalists were judged during the show on the first day by the panel of industry experts."

The winners were:

Food Hygiene: Biobase Europe – Hard Surface Sanitiser

Healthcare: Chemspec Europe – Inspection Control Fogging System

Retail: Prodifa – Aluminium Ashtray Bag

Chemicals & Dosing Equipment: Gloria – Foaming Dispenser

Window Cleaning: Aqua-dapter – Flow Controller

Floor Cleaning (indoors): ICE/Cleanfix – Roboclean 40

Pressure Washing & Graffiti Removal: Biobase Research – Graffiti Remover

Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning: Chemspec Europe – DFC105

Washrooms: Cannon Hygiene – Activap

Floorcare (outdoor): GumClean – CCR 3000

Software: OGL ProfitPlus – Business Intelligence Module

Eco/Green Products: Centrego – Toucan Eco

"Overall Winner out of all categories (and a unanimous decision by the judging panel): Aqua-dapter." "As this was our first Cleaning Show, we really didn’t know what to expect." "It was fantastic for Aqua-dapter to win, not only the Innovation Award in the Window Cleaning Product category, but also for the product to be unanimously counted worthy of being the overall winner!" "Steve Jones, the inventor of the Aqua-dapter, spent years developing and refining the design to make it a high-quality “must have” piece of kit for any Water Fed Pole user, so the praise is rightfully his."

"It was also great to be able to meet with some of the previous winners of the Award, and well-known names in the industry."  "We learned a lot and hope to continue building on the contacts we made there." "Our thanks also go to the judges." "We know it’s an excellent product, but it’s great to hear independent experts confirm that they like it too!"

More News from Aqua-Dapter! New Hose..

Thanks to Vadim Bokhanovich of MoemGorod® in Russia for sending me his video of his time at the Cleaning Show. Better quality viewing here.

Window Cleaners Noisy WFP Hose & A Cat For Ransom

Noisy hose fury led to stab threat: Neil Sampson threatened to stab his neighbour and had to be fended off with a pole, a court heard. Sampson , 41, of Isca Road, St Thomas, was given a year's community order at Exeter Magistrates' Court. He was sentenced to a year's requirement to have mental health treatment and also an order to have supervision by the probation service for the same period. Sampson had been convicted of a public order offence against Peter Brealy. Police told the Echo, after sentencing, that six officers were called to the street at around 10am on October 14 last year.

Prosecutor Narjinder Sadeghi said: "The victim was cleaning his window. The door opened next door. The defendant swore at him and said 'I'm going to stab you'." She said Mr Brealy initially treated it as a joke and carried on with what he was doing, but Sampson continued the disturbance. "The complainant had to use his extension pole to keep him away from him," said the prosecutor, referring to Mr Brealy's washing equipment. When arrested, Sampson said the noise of the victim's high-pressure hose had been annoying him. He admitted threatening to slip a knife up the victim's bottom and making insulting remarks about him. Sampson told police he never had any intention to use any knife when he made the threats.

The court heard he has previous convictions but no details of these were given. Helen Wallace, representing the defendant, said it was unnecessary to give her client a mental health treatment order. She said: "He was already making good progress seeing a psychiatrist and getting professional health. "He's wiling to continue psychiatric treatment. "The court did find there wasn't a knife and there was some provocation as he was struck with that pole." A probation officer told the court it would not legally be able to bring Sampson back to court if he failed to stick to the psychiatric treatment, unless the formal order for him to continue attending it was made. Magistrates said they needed to impose the requirement. They told Sampson: "We feel that at least reinforces your decision to help yourself and if there is any relapse it can be brought back." There was no order for costs as the defendant is on benefits.

Cat held hostage in North Wales rent row: A window cleaner held a pedigree cat to ransom in a payment row with his former landlord. Michael Lee Thomas West, 25, told Simone Pierce she could have her Persian cat back if she dropped criminal charges against him, Wrexham magistrates court heard. West, now living on Campbell Street, Rhos, agreed to lodge with Miss Pierce at her home on Chester Road, Rossett, on December 29.

Matthew Ellis, prosecuting, said West agreed to pay £400 a month rent, which was then lowered to £300. But Mr Ellis said West only paid the money in “dribs and drabs." He then decided to leave without giving Miss Pierce any notice and so she told him she would not return his deposit.
West then bombarded Miss Pierce with 15 text messages asking for his money back on January 28. On the same day West’s brother went to Miss Pierce’s home, pressed his face against the lounge window and said “If Westy doesn’t get his money by Friday I’m going to smoke the house out.” The next day Miss Pierce was at home with her boyfriend when West came to the house four times shouting and kicking.

He sent an email saying he had been to her place of work and that she should go to the Job Centre as a result. On January 30 West visited the house again and was banging on the door and shouting for her to come out. Mr Ellis said: “She was too scared to respond." West, a self-employed window cleaner, then drove his work van into the front door and damaged it so he could get into the house. He picked up the grey Persian cat and put it in his van, the court heard.
A few days later West contacted Miss Pierce saying: “Do you want your cat or not?” to which she told him he should not be contacting her. Mr Ellis said: “He said she can have the cat back if she drops the charges. “He asked her to make sure the police were not involved and that she was alone.” West then returned the cat in a carrier and gave it to Miss Pierce. Mr Ellis said: “He said ‘I can’t believe you didn’t call to get your cat back.’

“The defendant was arrested and interviewed and made a full admission about taking the cat on January 30.” Mr Ellis read a victim impact statement from Miss Pierce which said that she had been left “upset and feeling sick” about West’s harassment and that she was too scared to leave the house. West admitted damaging a UPVC door, unlawfully entering the house, harassment and stealing a cat. Mark Davies, defending, said: “Michael West felt that the landlord owed him money. “This happened over a very short period of time during which he was arrested three times. “This is a dispute about money and he went about it the wrong way. “It was wrong to take it but he did return the cat.”

Magistrates sentenced West to an 18-month community order with a supervision requirement.
He was told to pay £250 compensation, costs of £85 and was issued with a restraining order not to contact Miss Pierce, Mr Evans, not to go to her place of work or to her home on Chester Street, Rossett.