This new project, which spans both Devon and Corwall’s road networks, comes as part of the Vision Zero South West (VZSW) programme – a collaboration between the two counties. Freestanding cameras will be deployed at the roadside in order to scan for mobile phone and seatbelt offences.

In its first three days of operation, the scheme has captured almost 300 offences, with Head of Road Safety at Devon and Cornwall Police, Adrian Leisk, saying the force is “employing this new technology to send a clear message to anyone who continues to use their phone behind the wheel – you will get caught.”

This comes after the UK government recently decided to extend its trial of using AI cameras as the number of drivers using their mobile phones behind the wheel was found to have surged by as much as 90 per cent last year. Since 2021, a handful of police forces across the UK – including Devon and Cornwall – have been trialling a new kind of camera technology which photographs passing cars and utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to identify whether the driver in the photograph is using their phone or not.

Pilot testing of the tech has been eye-opening with regards to the size of the issue; conviction rates for those using their phone while driving rose from just 6,990 in 2022 to 13,332 in 2023 – a seven-year high. In fact, the Department for Transport estimates that as many as 400,000 drivers per year are guilty of using their mobile phones behind the wheel.

To further clamp down on this, the trial scheme has now been extended until 2025, with 10 police forces now taking part nationwide: Durham, Greater Manchester Police, Humberside, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Norfolk, Thames Valley Police, and Sussex. Devon and Cornwall’s initiative, on the other hand, falls under the separate aforementioned VZSW scheme, despite utilising the same technology.

Speaking of which, the so-called ‘Acusensus’ cameras have been developed by Texas-based firm, AECOM, with the initiatives backed by the RAC. Spokesperson for the RAC, Rod Dennis said: “Despite the penalties for using a handheld phone having doubled to six penalty points and a £200 fine seven years ago, it’s clear far too many drivers are still prepared to put lives at risk by engaging in this dangerous practice.”

“AI-equipped cameras that can automatically detect drivers breaking the law offer a chance for the tide to be turned.” Dennis continued, “The police can’t be everywhere all of the time, so it makes sense that forces look to the best available technology that can help them catch drivers acting illegally.”

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More than a quarter (28 percent) of these respondents also explained that it would be their first experience of buying a used car, having always bought new in the past (15 percent) or because they had never been a car owner previously (13 percent).

For those who would consider buying a used car in 2023, nearly half (44 percent) would look to turn to a private seller to source their next vehicle, with around a third (34 percent) of these consumers saying that cars sourced from a private individual can often be cheaper compared to when visiting a retailer.

However, The Motor Ombudsman says any savings made may be short-lived, and can carry an added element of risk for consumers, especially for those who are buying a used car for the first time.

Bill Fennell, managing director and chief ombudsman at The Motor Ombudsman, said: “In an era of rising bills, and increasingly stretched budgets, it can be very tempting for individuals to cut corners to make their hard-earned money go even further.

”Even though it may be perceived by some consumers that savings can be made in the shorter term by buying from a private individual, this could prove to be a false economy, as repair bills may mount up in the longer term, and turn a car into a very expensive liability. What’s more, The Motor Ombudsman would be unable to enforce any calls for help with resolving a consumer complaint if something was to go wrong after taking ownership of the vehicle.

“Spending time doing research, and choosing an established Motor Ombudsman-accredited retailer where a used car has undergone comprehensive checks prior to sale, is absolutely key. This is because, buyers will have a fully transparent view of the car’s condition and history to make a fully informed purchase, and can steer clear of any hidden and potentially costly surprises.”

Other reasons cited by consumers as to why they would opt for a private purchase include that they would find it easier to secure a low cost runaround (27 percent) and that they would be confident in knowing what to look out for when buying a used car (26 percent).

Similarly, about a fifth said that they are confident in their negotiating skills (21 percent), and that making a purchase from a private seller would likely be a fast transaction without much paperwork (20 percent).

Furthermore, 18 percent of this group of individuals said their preference is to pay in cash.

When asked where they would look for a used car from a private seller, over half (54 percent) stated they would search online, while around one in four (43 percent) would ask family and friends if they have had any recommendations or suitable contacts. Furthermore, 39 percent said they would check social media forums or marketplaces, while nearly a third (29 percent) would resort to keeping an eye out for cars on the street displaying ‘for sale’ signs.

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Bradford, South Gloucestershire, Great Yarmouth, and Birmingham will be used as the pilot areas for the scheme, as the Department for Transport (DfT) aims to clampdown on antisocial driving.

The trials, backed by £300,000 of Government investment, began with the introduction of a camera in Keighley, Bradford on Tuesday.

The following three locations will have cameras installed over the next two months.

Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan confirmed the initial locations for the new noise cameras following a government-backed competition to tackle noise pollution on some of the loudest streets in Britain.

Road noise is known to contribute to health problems, such as heart attacks, strokes and dementia, and the annual social cost of urban road noise, including lost productivity from sleep disturbance and health costs is estimated to be up to £10 billion.

DfT launched the competition to identify the areas to host the cameras earlier this year. Following this, some extensive testing took place at a private test track.

Trevelyan commented: “Rowdy road drivers beware – these new cameras will help the police clampdown on those who break the legal noise limits or use illegal modified exhausts to make excessive noise in our communities.

“We’ll be working closely with the local authorities and police to share any findings, and I hope that this technology paves the way for quieter, peaceful streets across the country.”

How do noise cameras work?

The new technology uses a video camera in conjunction with a number of microphones to accurately pinpoint excessively noisy vehicles as they pass by.

This means that if drivers break the law by revving their engines unnecessarily or using illegal exhausts, they will be automatically detected.

The camera takes a picture of the vehicle and records the noise level to create a digital package of evidence which can be used by local police to fine drivers.

What does the future hold for noise cameras?

Following the initial four locations, the Government has revealed that should the trials be successful, there could be more of a widespread introduction to tackle ‘boy racers’ and inconsiderate road users with loud engines and exhausts.

According to the DfT, in the next phase, the locations for these roadside trials will be decided based on the impact to local residents of illegal noisy vehicles.

MPs from across England applied for the camera to be set up in their local area before the four locations were selected. Should the scheme be a success, they will likely be able to reapply to have them introduced in their constituency.

Noise Abatement Society Chief Executive Gloria Elliott OBE said: “Excessively noisy vehicles and anti-social driving causes disturbance, stress, anxiety and pain to many. It is unsafe and disrupts the environment and people’s peaceful enjoyment of their homes and public places.

“Communities across the UK are increasingly suffering from this entirely avoidable blight. The Noise Abatement Society applauds rigorous, effective, evidence-based solutions to address this issue and protect the public.”

Atkins-Jacobs Joint Venture is acting as a technical consultant for the trials, providing acoustics expertise, design, modelling and asset management.

The noise camera is designed and developed by MicrodB.

Atkins Jacobs Joint Venture Practice Director Andrew Pearce said: “The real-world trials of the technology solution the Atkins Jacobs JV has developed and tested on the track is an important step for the scheme towards solving a problem that affects many communities across the UK.

“We are fully expecting the trial in these four chosen locations to confirm what we have seen in testing, which is a highly targeted use of technology to ensure only those motorists making excessive noise will be subject to enforcement.”

What do you make of this announcement from the government? Will it help tackle noise pollution on our roads?

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1. Skoda CitiGo: £908

The Czech brand’s smallest model is roomy and has an impressive 3-cylinder engine. It also offers the cheapest young driver insurance costs at an average of £908 a year, according to GoCompare.

2. VW Up!: £930

Look familiar? It should, because the Up! is mechanically the same as the Skoda CitoGo. The premium VW badge appeal means average premiums for a new driver under 21 is £930.

3. Seat Mii: £960

Completing the hat-trick for the VW Group is the Seat Mii. Behind that Seat badge is the same car as the Skoda CitiGo and VW Up!, though the Spanish brand’s generally younger customers makes it the most expensive of the trio at £960.

4. Suzuki Celerio: £961

For years, the Celerio was the second cheapest new car in Britain, with only Dacia’s Sandero less expensive. They’re basic but relatively reliable, which – along with low average premiums for young drivers of £961 – make it very appealing.

5. Hyundai i10: £971

The i10 is the Korean car brand’s answer to affordable driving. The previous-generation car is well equipped, has a lovely interior and will cost young drivers an average of £971 to insure fully-comp.

6. Fiat Panda: £983

The Panda has been around since the early 1980s when it offered no-frills cheap motoring. For young drivers, that’s still the case with average premiums of £983.

7. Citroen C1: £984

French brands traditionally have made some of the best small cars on the road for years, and Citroen’s C1 is no different. It’s cheap and cheerful – and pretty reliable as it was made in conjunction with Toyota. It will cost new drivers £984 a year to insure.

8. Peugeot 108: £996

The 108 is mechanically the same as the Citroen C1 above and the Toyota Aygo, It might feel a bit tinny inside, but the engines are strong and so is overall reliability. Average new driver cover is £996, says GoCompare.

9. Peugeot 107: £1,004

Marginally breaking into the four-figure bracket is the Peugeot 107 – the older version of the 108 listed above. It shares all the same credentials, and a cheaper purchase price. Average new driver premiums are £1,004.

10. Ford Ka: £1,016

Like the Fiat Panda, the Ka has been around for some time. The dinky Ford offers affordable first-year insurance costs to a 17-to-21 year old driver of just £1,016 – that’s what GoCompare customers wanting fully-comprehensive cover had to pay last year.

Source: GoCompare, based on fully-comprehensive policies bought via the comparison site between Aug21-Jul22 by 17-21 year old customers with a UK full licence less than 1 year old  

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I can remember standing in the small industrial unit on the Carr Lane Industrial Estate in Hoylake (pictured) and thinking to myself that maybe everyone was right, that a garage only specialising in small cars would never work. They said that you needed to have 4×4’s, estates and family cars to make it work as a business.

The local papers, The Wirral Globe and The Wirral News (remember them !), came out on a Wednesday and our 1st advert was inside. BT had managed to get our phone up and running in time and I just had to wait for it to ring. I waited…and waited….and waited. By 3pm I’d pretty much convinced myself that I’d be on the job hunt again next week , after leaving a fairly well paid job ( that I hated !) to open Wirral Small Cars.

And then it happend, the phone rang. It was a chap interested in Fiat Punto that I had in stock. I jumped in it and drove it to his house, he liked it and he bought it. That was it…..Wirral Small Cars was up and running.

And here we are , 21 years later, I actually cannot believe where the time has gone . There have been some hard times during those 21 years . I mean we’ve been through that terrible terrorist attack I mentioned, the biggest recession in living memory, Covid…….and we’ve seen a number of Prime Ministers !!! And there have been many many absolutely wonderful times. We have met so many lovely people and have many customers that we now consider friends.

In our 21 years we’ve tried to do our bit in the community, we’ve sponsored childrens football teams, supported Barnado’s, Rotary club, Heswall, Macmillan amongst many others and we hope to continue to do so in the future.

Thank you to everyone who have been a part of our journey, thank you to the customers that have supported us so loyally over the years.  Thank you to my Mum and Dad who have always given their support, especially my Dad who comes in and keeps the tea and coffee flowing.

A special thank you must go to Roz , who has kept me on track when I needed support and direction, helped to keep my terrible paperwork in order,  driven me all over the place to pick cars up, kept the ideas coming to improve what we do and rolled her sleeves and got stuck in when we are busy.

Here’s to the next 21 years, I suppose we will be selling hover cars powered by sunlight then !

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The engines in most cars are four stroke engines. As the pistons go up and down they suck in air and fuel and compress that mixture which ignites, causing an explosion to shove the piston back down. On it’s way back up again it forces the burnt mixture out again – which, in short, means: Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow which you can see in action in the animation below. Although in real-life it operates much, much faster!

Image credit: Zephyris, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

With so many parts of metal moving at such speeds, it’s vital that the valves at the top of the engine don’t come into contact with the pistons – which is why timing is crucial. The belt with the arrow on the left hand side of the above animation represents the cambelt, or timing chain. Its job is to make sure that when the piston is heading rapidly upwards the valves remain closed or are only open just enough that the piston doesn’t touch them and so when a cambelt or timing chain fails, this finely tuned system gets out of sync, or out of line which means that the moving parts within your engine are free to collide, causing catastrophic and usually terminal damage.

How To Make Sure This Doesn’t Happen?

Regular scheduled maintenance. When manufacturers design and test engines they attribute a lifespan to different components with a decent safety margin built in. If you look in the service handbook of your car it will tell you when the timing chain or cambelt should be renewed. This is generally related to mileage, but also time. Timing chains are made from metal but cambelts are typically made using rubber and so it perishes with both time, and use, which means that even if your car doesn’t do many miles the cam belt will eventually wear out.

Why Replace The Water Pump Too?

The timing belt or chain on your engine doesn’t only control the opening and closing of the valves but they also drive the pump which moves water around the engine to prevent it from overheating. Like the belt, the pump has a limited life and since neither component is particularly expensive to replace, it is often best practice to change both at the same time to save on labour costs. Plus, the few hundred pounds to do this job now, is far better value than a few thousand for a new engine or car!

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The Zoe becomes just the third car in Euro NCAP’s history to record a zero-star rating, 20 years after the Renault Laguna became the first car to achieve a five-star verdict.

The Zoe previously held a five-star Euro NCAP rating but was entered into the tests following a substantial facelift last year which ushered in a bigger battery and extra power but also, a new seat-mounted side airbag that protects just the occupant’s thorax, rather than the head and thorax as it did previously.

This change represents “a degradation in occupant protection”, according to Euro NCAP, which reported that in the side-pole-impact test, the “driver’s head directly impacted the intruding pole and head injury values indicated poor protection of this part of the body”.

The supermini’s performance in the frontal offset crash test was also “poor”, with Euro NCAP citing weak protection for the driver’s chest area and the necks of children in the back seats specifically.

The Zoe is also said to lack active safety technology “commonly fitted as standard”, such as lane-departure warning and standard-fit automatic emergency braking (AEB), which vehicle safety research firm Thatcham says can reduce “front-to-rear crashes with injuries by 56%”. Therefore it achieved a rating of just 14% in the Safety Assist category, some 61% lower than the 2021 average.

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It’s easy to tell yourself you don’t have the right products, equipment or even time to get stuck in to the inside of your car, but more often than not it boils down to simply not wanting to undertake the boring, laborious task of cleaning.

Not to worry as our guide will make light work of the task, offering 10 shortcuts to keep your car clean and save you time and effort.

1. Reclaim those air vents

Your air-con vents have an uncanny talent for gathering dust, and as you’ve probably found, they’re frustrating to clean.

But rather than giving up – the build-up in these narrow, gated areas gets pretty gross – dig out an old paint brush, or buy a cheap foam art brush to get right in there.You could even use a hoover to suck up the dust as you go.

2. Line your cup holders with cake liners

It’s extremely easy for cup holders to become no-go areas, as clutter builds and sticky drips and drabs make victims of coins and other bits of pocket detritus.

With a cupcake liner firmly planted in the rounded-out space, cleaning becomes as simple as picking up, taking out and replacing. Some of them even look pretty cool.

3. Mine the crevices

Anyone who’s ever given up on an intensive interior car clean probably became exasperated by the sheer amount of narrow crevices – namely around gear sticks, window controls and radios.

The solution? Wrap a cloth or rag around a small screwdriver, using the head to move in on the offending crumbs, dust and grime.A damp toothbrush or fine wire brush is also good for this (especially in seat linings).

4. Pet hair today, gone tomorrow

Some of us don’t want to banish our furry friends from our vehicle, but we’d like to banish their lingering seat hairs.

The best way to rid your interior of these hairs is to fill a spray-headed bottle with water and spray all over the offending back (or front) seat. Once the rug-load of hair has loosened, wipe away with a squeegee – like that used to clean the shower door – or any flat, smooth rubber-bladed device – you’ll be surprised how easily they come off.

5. A leather makeover

Nooks, cracks and crannies are the bane of the car cleaner’s life, and nowhere does this cause more irritation than with those once-immaculate leather interiors.

Not for the first time, it’s trusty toothbrush to the rescue. Before you chuck out your next one (or disposable head) keep it in your car-cleaning armoury and use with a concoction of water and good old baking soda to really get those crevices clean.

6. Shine up those hubs

You’d be amazed what a difference clean, shiny hubcaps can make to the overall appearance of your pride and joy. The best bit, there’s no real hard work involved.

Mix some washing powder (laundry detergent) together with water to create a super paste that’s just perfect for this brand of muck. No speciality wheel cleaner required and again, our trusty friend the toothbrush can be used for this.

7. No more smeary windscreens

Very light rain and windscreen wipers can make for a smeary proposition.

If your wipers are consistently blurring your front and rear windscreen’s vision it could well be time to replace them – but try covering them in rubbing alcohol first. Next stop, smear-free driving.

As for the inside of the windscreen, applying shaving foam then wiping clean will help to stop them from steaming up as much on cold mornings (fingers crossed there won’t be many of those over the next few months).

This does wear off, however, and will need to be repeated from time to time.

8. A dashboard that shines

A dust-free dashboard is one thing, but don’t you fancy one that sparkles?

Avoid buying pricey specialist gear with a rag and some olive oil – the perfect-in-car polish. A spring cleaning favourite, this kitchen-based solution won’t cost much and should leave a pleasing smell too.

9. Get pristine floor mats

It’s easy to write off your floor mats as a bad job. Soil, leaves, oil… potentially worse, this upholstery takes some serious hammer.

But hope is not lost. Arrange them outside the car and spray with stain remover – the sort you might use on indoor carpets. Let it start to soak in before tossing in the washing machine on a thorough cycle. You’ll love the difference.

10. Brush up those pearly lights

After a long dark winter, spring is a time to help us see the light – literally.

If your headlights appear dim to oncoming traffic or pedestrians it can lead to confusion and danger.

To make sure they’re looking as bright as can be get some toothpaste on a cloth and scrub up those cloudy lenses.

Yes, the baking soda found in the paste does wonders for the outer casing

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