This Week at theEHP: 11 June

Welcome to This Week at theEHP, a summary of the articles that appeared on the site over the last week.

This week at theEHP we report on a Looming housing crisis, a food safety reminder & lots of prosecutions.

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Liverpool City Council has won a landmark tribunal ruling which could see heating costs cut for private tenants. The Council appealed a previous Residential Property Tribunal (RPT) decision that found that a heating system provided by a private landlord in Liverpool was satisfactory despite the fact that it is expensive compared to other heating systems.

The decision by the President of the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) (UTLC) means that heating systems provided in private rented properties should be economical to run, if occupiers are to be adequately protected from the harmful effects of cold. Unlike the decision of the RPT, the decision of the UTLC is legally binding and sets a national precedent. Full details and the Appeal Decision available here.

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Environmental Protection

Environmental Protection: Music system seized from student party house
Thousands of pounds worth of music equipment was seized from a student house after residents complained about noisy parties.

Food Safety

Food Safety: HPA issues food safety reminder
During national Food Safety Week, The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is reminding everyone to practice good kitchen hygiene to reduce their risk of becoming unwell. Research from the agency reveals that there are an estimated 1.7 million cases of foodborne illness in England and Wales each year* – an average of 33,160 cases each week.

Food Safety: Fresh n’ Fast fine for failing to maintain hygiene standards
A sandwich manufacturer has been ordered to pay more than £17,000 after failing to maintain food hygiene standards.

Food Safety: Meat plant found guilty of delivering over-temperature meat
The Food Standards Agency has brought a successful prosecution against an Essex slaughterhouse for deliveries of over-temperature meat. A judge found Elmkirk Limited guilty on all eight charges under the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations, fined the company £12,000 and ordered it to pay prosecution costs of nearly £26,000.

Food Safety: Letchworth hotel fined after food poisoning at wedding
A Letchworth hotel was ordered to pay over £12000 by Hertford Magistrates Court last week after pleading guilty to two charges of poor food hygiene practice. The court heard that the Letchworth Hall Hotel had served food at a wedding in September last year which led to multiple cases of food poisoning.

Food Safety: McDonald’s to pay £11,915 for metal bar found in milkshake
A McDonald’s Drive Thru restaurant trading at the South Terminal, Gatwick Airport, has been ordered to pay £11,915 following a successful prosecution by Crawley Borough Council.

Health & Safety

Health & Safety: HSE prosecutions in brief 11 June – 15 June
Welcome to HSE prosecutions in brief. A selection of this weeks prosecutions by the HSE.

Housing

Housing: JRF – Looming housing crisis for over a million young people by 2020
A report published today by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation warns of an escalating housing crisis which is set to lock over one million young people out of home ownership by 2020.

Housing: Landlord prosecuted for accepting false references
A landlord in Gipton has been fined over £3000 for accepting false references from his tenants. Mr Colin Harrison, of Harrison Crescent, Gipton, was fined at Leeds Magistrates Court on Thursday 31 May for committing six offences against the selective licensing rules which operate in the Cross Green and East End area of the city. He pleaded guilty to all the offences and was fined £1000 with costs of £2447, including a victim surcharge of £15.

Housing: RPT ruling could cut heating costs
Liverpool City Council has won a landmark tribunal ruling which could see heating costs cut for private tenants.The decision by the President of the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) (UTLC) means that heating systems provided in private rented properties should be economical to run, if occupiers are to be adequately protected from the harmful effects of cold.

Housing: Landlord hit with huge fine for filthy, overcrowded house
A landlord has been fined £5500 after tenants were discovered living in appalling, overcrowded conditions.

Public Health

Public Health: Shisha bar owner fined for allowing smoking on premises
Manchester City Council has successfully prosecuted the owner of a Chorlton shisha bar, after he and customers were found smoking shisha on the premises.

theEHP Store

British Standards
British Standards added to theEHP Store:

More British Standards Available here.

Vouchers codes for Office Stationery
Here are a couple of discount voucher codes for use on Office Stationery at www.officestationery.co.uk and valid until July 2012.

5OFF0712 will take £5 off your next order over £100
10PER0712 will take 10% off your next order over £200

Also, check out their Special Offers.

Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G now in the UK

Kindle Touch is a new addition to the Kindle family in the UK with an easy-to-use touch screen. With Amazon’s EasyReach touch technology there’s no need to swipe, you simply tap to turn pages, eliminating fatigue and allowing you to comfortably hold your Kindle in either hand. It’s small, light and eliminates battery anxiety with an extra-long battery life. Kindle Touch has built-in Wi-Fi and carries up to 3,000 books.

For readers who want the top of the line e-reader, Kindle Touch 3G offers the same design and features of Kindle Touch with the unparallelled added convenience of free 3G to download Kindle eBooks. Kindle’s free 3G connection means you never have to hunt for or pay for a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Amazon Deals