Category: News

A motorcyclist who filmed himself pulling a wheelie and riding at an estimated 150mph has been given a one-year driving ban after being prosecuted with his own footage.

Jack Godfrey, 24, was stopped by a police officer who began to follow the superbike after noticing the letters on its registration plate were too small to read.

The officer saw Godfrey, of Basildon, speeding and undertaking before he stopped him on the A130 in Rettendon on July 15, Essex Police said.

During the stop, the officer noticed Godfrey had a camera fitted to the bike and seized its memory card, suspecting it had captured the rider’s driving.

When reviewed, the dashcam had captured footage of earlier journeys that day.

It showed the man riding along a number of roads at an “estimated top speed of 150mph whilst overtaking numerous vehicles and even performing a ‘wheelie’ whilst passing oncoming vehicles”, Essex Police said.

Godfrey admitted dangerous driving and was sentenced at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on November 3 to a one-year driving ban, the force said.

He was also ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work, to re-sit his driving test and pay £269 of fines and costs.

Pc Danny Wheeler, who led the investigation, said: “There is no doubt that the rider drove in a dangerous manner that day, using the public roads of Chelmsford as a racetrack with no consideration for himself and the safety of other road users.

“At one point, he nearly collided into a roundabout.

“The footage was horrific, so much so that during interview, the rider admitted that even he was shocked by it and admitted he’d been foolish.”

The court ordered no separate penalty for two other charges relating to the unlawful registration plate, which did not conform with DVLA regulations.

The number of fuel thefts from filling stations in Britain has soared, new figures suggest.

Data obtained by the RAC Foundation indicate that forecourt owners attempted to trace offenders over 39,563 incidents between July and September.

That is up 77% from 22,335 during the same period last year, and represents more than a fourfold increase on the total of 8,558 in those three months during 2019.

The RAC Foundation said the rise could be due to “systematic criminal activity”.

The figures relate to the number of requests made to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for vehicle keeper data in relation to fuel theft.

Most of the incidents are likely to relate to drive-offs – also known as bilking – where someone fills up their vehicle with no intention of paying, and then leaves.

The British Oil Security Syndicate – which campaigns to reduce crime on forecourts – estimates the practice costs filling stations an average of £10,500 each per year.

The maximum penalty for drivers convicted of making off without payment, an offence under the Theft Act 1978, is two years in prison and/or an unlimited fine.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: “Among all the recent media attention given to the epidemic of shoplifting, it should probably come as no surprise to find that the theft of petrol and diesel from forecourts looks to be a big and growing problem, and these figures might only hint at a much bigger issue.

“While it may be that the cost-of-living crisis is tempting some people to risk driving off without paying, the real headache for fuel suppliers is if this is a sign of more systematic criminal activity.

“The message to anyone tempted to bilk the service station must be ‘Don’t fill up if you can’t pay up’ because getting caught is a real possibility, and financial losses to companies ultimately lead to higher prices for us all.”

Nearly half of van drivers overload their vehicles despite the vast majority of them knowing the legal weight restriction for their light commercial vehicles.

That’s according to a new survey from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, which found that 48 per cent of UK van drivers admitted to overloading their vans in the last year despite it carrying a fine of up to £300. Collectively, the nation’s van drivers could be risking a £703 million fine for putting too much weight into their vehicles.

Vans loaded beyond 30 per cent of their gross vehicle weight could see owners hit with a court summons and even a custodial sentence in the most extreme circumstances.

The survey of 1,000 van drivers found that 66 per cent of drivers aged between 18 and 24 had overloaded their van in the last year, followed by 63 per cent of over-65-year-olds.

The tradespeople most likely to overload their vans were carpenters, too, followed by builders, electricians and painter decorators.

A DVSA spokesperson said: “DVSA’s priority is to protect everyone from unsafe drivers and vehicles. It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure their vehicle is safe to drive. They should make sure they know the maximum permitted gross vehicle weight and limits on each axle of their vehicle.

“We take enforcement action against drivers and operators who risk people’s lives by overloading or not securely loading their vehicles. Our accessible online guidance provides everyone with the information they need to load their vehicle safely and avoid risking the lives of other road users.”

In the UK, the maximum gross vehicle weight for a light commercial vehicle is 3.5 tonnes or 4.25 tonnes for an alternatively-fuelled vehicle. Even exceeding this gross vehicle weight by 9.99 per cent carries a £100 if caught, too.

A Lamborghini Countach “hero car” famously used in a scene in The Wolf of Wall Street where it sustains major damage is heading to auction.

Described as being preserved in its “as-filmed”’ condition, the white supercar is one of the most famous cars to grace the silver screen in recent years.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, the Wolf of Wall Street (2013) follows the story of stockbroker Jordan Belfort – played by Leonardo DiCaprio – who was a highly controversial character on Wall Street during the 1980s and 90s.

One of the most famous scenes in the film involves this particular Lamborghini – a Countach 25th Anniversary Edition, which is one of just 658 ever produced to mark the Italian firm’s quarter of a century as a car maker. Only 12 are believed to have been made in this specification for the US market.

The car is said to star alongside DiCaprio for more than three minutes in the film, and is best known for the scene where Belfort drives the car while severely impaired by the drug Quaaludes. In the film, DiCaprio’s character crawls into the car and then recklessly drives home sustaining various damage on the way.

This Lamborghini was in fact used for the stunts, though Scorsese deemed the damage gathered in the action not to be serious enough, so ordered his crew to inflict more damage to the vehicle to make it appear more ‘wrecked’ in later scenes.

Since appearing in the film, the Countach is said to have been ‘meticulously preserved’ and is now being offered to the public for the first time, directly from one of the original filmmakers.

The Countach is going under the hammer with Bonhams at an auction coinciding with the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 25. It is being sold with an estimate of $1.5m-2m (£1.24m-1.65m).

It will be accompanied by various film memorabilia, including documentation, a Jordan Belfort costume and a director’s chair and clapboard signed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie, who also starred in the film as Naomi Lapaglia, Belfort’s second wife.

A second Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition in a matching specification was also used for filming, though didn’t sustain damage. Interestingly, this car is also heading to auction in New York on December 8 this year with RM Sotheby’s, carrying the same estimate of $1.5m-2m (£1.24m-1.65m).

Expanding the ultra low emission zone (Ulez) has led to “cleaner air across London”, Sadiq Khan has claimed.

The Mayor of London made the comment after a Transport for London (TfL) report showed the proportion of vehicles in the expanded area that comply with minimum emissions standards has risen from 85% in May 2022 to 95% in September.

Mr Khan extended the Ulez zone from everywhere within the North and South Circular roads to cover all London boroughs from August 29.

For petrol cars to meet the emissions standards they must generally have been first registered after 2005.

Most diesel cars registered after September 2015 are also exempt from the £12.50 daily charge.

While acknowledging that there “isn’t enough data in relation to air quality”, Mr Khan told the PA news agency: “We do know though, that after one month there are fewer non-compliant vehicles, who are the most polluting.

“We do know there are more compliant vehicles, and that leads to a conclusion that there is cleaner air across London.”

TfL’s report showed that 93,700 vehicles which failed to meet minimum emissions standards were driven in the capital on an average day in the first month after the expansion.

Some 36% were exempt, leaving about 60,000, including those owned by private motorists and businesses, liable for the daily charge.

That is 3% of the total number of vehicles recorded as being driven in London each day.

The figures suggest TfL receives approximately £730,000 a day in Ulez fees.

Enforcement action is taken in response to people not paying the Ulez charge in relation to 3% of non-compliant vehicles, equivalent to about 2,000 a day.

TfL said it issued 13,480 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) between September 26-30.

FPNs are £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

Failure to pay an FPN or make a representation within 28 days leads to it increasing to £270.

TfL says it can use bailiffs to “recover monies owed”, and their fees “may run into many hundreds of pounds”.

An anti-Ulez Facebook group with more than 40,000 members is urging people to refuse to pay, as well as celebrating the vandalism of enforcement cameras.

TfL’s director of strategy and policy Christina Calderato said: “It’s great to see that 95% of the vehicles driving in the capital comply with the scheme’s transformative air quality standards.

“The Ulez is highly effective in taking the oldest, most polluting vehicles off the roads.”

A scheme providing up to £2,000 for Londoners to scrap a non-compliant vehicle remains open.

Toyota has confirmed that it will introduce its new Prius to the UK, U-turning on its previous decision to not launch the model here.

The Prius is one of the firm’s best-known models, and was Toyota’s first hybrid model more than 25 years ago. Today, the majority of the cars the firm sells are powered by a hybrid powertrain, ranging from the compact Yaris through to the large Highlander SUV.

The new fifth-generation Prius was revealed last year, with a radically different design to its predecessor. Becoming sleeker, more premium and more advanced, it gained lots of interest, though Toyota initially said it wouldn’t offer the model here.

At its reveal in November 2022, the firm said: “We have taken the decision not to introduce the new generation Prius in the UK as the new model represents a very different proposition to its predecessor, alongside a clear shift in UK consumer demand towards more SUV style vehicles.”

The firm added it had sold just 563 new Prius models in the UK in its last full year on sale in 2021, compared to 18,000 examples of the C-HR crossover in the same year.

However, Toyota has now told the PA news agency that the model will in fact be sold in the UK, purely in a plug-in hybrid guise.

The Japanese firm did not cite a reason for the change in decision, but it’s expected that the model’s positive reception elsewhere and the continuing rise in demand for hybrid vehicles account for the change of mind. The Prius’ low CO2 emissions, starting from just 11g/km, will also help to lower Toyota’s fleet average, while the fact it’s sold in other right-hand-drive countries, including Ireland, will help make it easier to bring to market in the UK.

Toyota says full details will be announced at a later date, though it’s expected to command more premium pricing closer to £40,000. Sales are likely to begin in early 2024.

Around 60,000 vehicle owners a day are paying the £12.50 fee for entering London’s expanded ultra low emission zone (Ulez), new figures show.

A report published by Transport for London (TfL) revealed that 93,700 vehicles that failed to meet minimum emissions standards were driven in the capital on an average day in the first month after the expansion on August 29.

Some 36% were exempt, leaving around 60,000 – including those owned by private motorists and businesses – liable for the £12.50 daily charge.

That is 3% of the total number of vehicles recorded as being driven in London each day.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the increase in the proportion of vehicles in the expanded area that comply with the emissions standards from 85% in May 2022 to 95% in September will “make a huge difference”.

The report also revealed that around 48,000 fewer vehicles a day were used in the capital between August 29 and September 30 compared with June, representing a 2% reduction.

Mr Khan extended the Ulez zone from everywhere within the North and South Circular roads to cover all London boroughs.

For petrol cars to meet the emissions standards, they must generally have been first registered after 2005.

Most diesel cars registered after September 2015 are also exempt from the charge.

Mr Khan said: “I’ve always said that the decision to expand the Ulez was very difficult, but a month on from the expansion we can already see that it is working.

“London is now home to the world’s largest clean air zone and this new data shows 95% of vehicles seen driving in London on an average day now comply with our air quality standards – a 10 percentage point increase since I began to consult on the Ulez expansion in May 2022.

“This will make a huge difference to the lives and health of Londoners.”

TfL’s director of strategy and policy Christina Calderato said: “It’s great to see that 95% of the vehicles driving in the capital comply with the scheme’s transformative air quality standards.

“The Ulez is highly effective in taking the oldest, most polluting vehicles off the roads.”

TfL said it initially sent warning letters to vehicle owners for non-payment but issued 13,480 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) between September 26-30.

FPNs are £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

An anti-Ulez Facebook group with more than 40,000 members is urging people to refuse to pay as well as celebrating the vandalism of enforcement cameras.

AA president Edmund King said: “We have said all along that targeting the most polluting vehicles will help to improve air quality.

“What we still don’t know is how the expansion has affected families on low incomes who could no longer afford to run their non-compliant vehicles or purchase a newer one.”

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis: “It’s clear from just a month’s data that the expanded Ulez is bringing air quality benefits.

“But we note there were around 48,000 fewer vehicles entering the zone in September compared to June, so we have to hope these are people who have chosen to get around by other means rather than being unable to travel at all because they are stuck with a non-compliant vehicle.”

TfL said it is “too early to draw firm conclusions” about its figures showing a reduction in vehicle usage.

A scheme providing up to £2,000 for Londoners to scrap a non-compliant vehicle remains open.

Used car prices have dropped by 4.2 per cent in October following a ‘significant’ movement in the market.

Derren Martin, director of valuations for trade used car pricing experts Cap HPI, told Car Dealer Magazine that the fall is the biggest drop since 2011. It’s also the largest fall ever recorded in October while monthly falls of more than three per cent have only ever happened on a trio of other occasions.

Martin described the fall – which works out to an average of an £850 drop per car – as a ‘significant realignment’ but wouldn’t call it a ‘crash’. It contrasts October 2022, however, where used car prices fell by just 0.5 per cent.

Speaking on video to Car Dealer, Martin said: “There’s more cars out there and there’s less demand.

“We haven’t spoken to a single dealer that is stocking up. So when you get more supply, and only selective buying, that obviously affects prices.”

Bucking the trend was electric vehicles, with battery-powered models suffering less of a drop than petrol, diesel and hybrid models.

The biggest used price drop was for the Mitsubishi ASX – which fell by 13.4 per cent – followed by the BMW 2 Series Convertible diesel and the Skoda Karoq, which fell by 12.3 and 11.5 per cent respectively.

In contrast, the car which saw the largest used car price rise was the Dacia Logan diesel – which went up by 6.9 per cent – with the Seat Mii Electric and Toyota Prius increasing by four and 3.9 per cent respectively.

A number of other electric vehicles were on the list of biggest used price rises, too, including the Mazda MX-30 and the Nissan Leaf.

Major fuel retailers are being urged to cut petrol prices by 5p per litre due to lower wholesale costs.

The RAC, which issued the plea, accused fuel-selling supermarkets of hiking their margins on petrol.

Its analysis found their margins on petrol are around 14p per litre, double the long-term average of 7p.

Latest figures show average petrol prices in the UK are 155.3p per litre.

Petrol prices should be lowered by 5p per litre while diesel should be cut by 4p per litre, according to the RAC.

The 5p per litre cut in fuel duty introduced by the Government in March 2022 “only appears to be helping retailers who have chosen to up their margins”, the company said.

An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that supermarket fuel retailers overcharged drivers by 6p per litre in 2022, costing them a total of around £900 million.

The CMA recommended retailers provide live pump price information and a price monitoring body is created.

The Government has pledged to legislate for both those measures.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “Our analysis sadly shows that despite the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation confirming drivers were being ripped off at the pumps – something we have been saying for years – and the Government acting on the findings, nothing has changed.

“Drivers are still losing out massively when wholesale prices come down.

“But in Northern Ireland, where the supermarkets don’t dominate fuel retailing, drivers are getting fairer deal with a litre of unleaded costing 150p and diesel 157p – 5p less than the UK average.

“Drivers and, indeed, the Treasury, should be furious that the 5p per litre duty cut, which has been in place since the end of March 2022, is not being passed on at forecourts.

“There is no doubt from studying RAC Fuel Watch data that margins are up across the board, and while retailers argue their costs have increased due to inflation, the irony remains that there is a definite link between pump prices and consumer price inflation.

“A failure to cut pump prices to fairer levels when there is a clear opportunity to do so has the effect of keeping inflation artificially high – which is clearly in nobody’s interest.”

Just Stop Oil activists who took part in M25 protests are waiting for a High Court judge’s ruling after being accused of being in contempt.

Mr Justice Soole is due to announce a decision on Monday after considering evidence at a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London last week.

One protester accused of breaching a court injunction by climbing on to an M25 gantry is a 76-year-old grandmother.

Retired teacher Gaie Delap, from Bristol, told the judge that the “climate emergency” was not being taken seriously enough and her “heart was breaking” for the future of “my six grandchildren”.

Ms Delap is one of 12 people accused of taking part in M25 protests in November 2022 and breaching a court injunction.

Lawyers representing National Highways told the judge that protesters caused “considerable delays” and are in contempt of court.

The protesters have all mounted arguments in their defence.

Three other people aged over 55 – Paul Sousek, 72, Theresa Norton, 65, and Paul Bleach, 56 – feature in the litigation.

Others protesters accused of contempt at the hearing were: Charlotte Kirin, 54; Daniel Johnson, 25; Joseph Linhart, 22; Luke Elson, 30; Mair Bain, 36; Paul Bell, 23; Rosemary Jackson, 25; and Theresa Higginson, 25.