Bromley Trading Standards Update

Today’s Alert! concerns the Green Homes Grant cold calling scam.  There is also advice on how to apply for the Grant and how to select a reputable trader when you need one.

 

 

We encourage you to circulate the Alert! around your network of family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, clients and members of groups or organisations you’re a part of. 

 

You may be in touch with Bromley residents who could be susceptible to scams – sharing some information about scams may prevent them from becoming a scam victim.

 

If you know anyone who would like to receive the Alert! please ask them to email us at trading.standards@bromley.gov.uk

 

 

Kind regards

 

Bromley’s Trading Standards team

 

 

 

 

Update Newsletter - Winter Waste Collections

Not displaying properly? View in browser.        Register for a MyBromley Account  |   MyBromley Login  |   Forgotten Password  |   Bromley.gov.uk    Winter Waste Collections Dear Resident, The coldest winter weather in around a decade severely impacted recycling and waste collections throughout the week and in light of this, I wanted to contact you and outline what we are doing about this. Whilst an around- the-clock gritting operation largely successfully kept priority routes clear of ice and snow, the icy pavements in particular posed a significant issue and prevented recycling and waste collections taking place and a revised collection programme is in place for next week only. We had originally hoped that work would be ‘caught up’ but as approximately 80,000 recycling or waste collections are made each day, as the impact of the severe weather continued, it became apparent this was not going to be feasible. All residents with scheduled collection days of Monday through to Thursday will receive a food waste collection and a non-recyclable refuse collection only, with recycling and paper collections resuming as usual from the following week. In recognition that residents in the earlier part of the week did not receive a collection, we are undertaking that all residents next week will receive a food waste collection and a non-recyclable refuse collection, with residents being asked to store recycling and paper collections for their next scheduled collections as per their usual pattern. Whilst this is not ideal, we only have a finite number of vehicles and collection staff and all will be engaged with this work, hence asking residents to store their recycling. Full details about these temporary changes are published on the Council’s website www.bromley.gov.uk/wastenews if you want to refer to them, but I wanted to draw this to your attention and thank you for your anticipated support and understanding.  The problems we faced earlier in the week have only been faced once or twice in the last decade, with particularly low ongoing daytime temperatures and consequently icy pavement surfaces. This had a severe impact as ice poses difficulties from a manual handling perspective as we are not just asking collection crews to walk on the ice but lift heavy containers and twist etc. The safety of residents and our collection crews is of upmost importance and, therefore, we ceased our collection service until the conditions were safe to deliver services.  You can read more about our around-the-clock gritting operations on our website, which both includes gritting roads and pavements in high footfall locations and I want to thank the staff involved in this. I particularly want to thank our Snow Friend volunteer residents who cleared snow away or spread grit from supplies we provided in their residential street as you did make a difference for all of us.  Thank you, too, to everyone who has checked up on more vulnerable neighbours from a social distance, of course, and thank you for your support at this time. Kind regards,    Councillor William Huntington-Thresher Executive Councillor for Environment & Community Services Wintry Weather Update - For waste and recycling collection updates during the wintry weather and to check your collection day visit our Waste News page. Waste and recycling collections We are asking residents to store their recycling or paper until their next scheduled collection, with collections resuming their normal pattern from week commencing Monday 22 February. Further details are available at www.bromley.gov.uk/wastenews Gritting our roads Borough-wide snow which started last weekend, including overnight, has meant that gritting and snow clearance crews have salted all 280 miles of main routes, with this work continuing through much of the week.  Salt is routinely used to prevent ice or frost forming on priority routes. To ensure that this is effective, in periods of more extreme wintry weather, salting needs to take place on a frequent basis.  The Council’s purpose-built gritting vehicles, equipped with GPS tracking software, focus salting operations on the main priority routes.   Local residential side streets are not part of the Council’s gritting or snow clearance operation, and with thanks to volunteer resident Snow Friends who have cleared snow in their road.  See also Snow Friends help in clearance operation. GO PAPERLESS If you already have a MyBromley Account to view your Council Tax, simply login to your account and choose Paperless Billing. If you don't have a MyBromley Account, why not register for one today at MyBromley Account. It's quick, easy and secure. LOG IN OR REGISTER TODAY AT MyBromley Account bromley.gov.uk This email was sent to you by Bromley Council © 2020 Registered Address: Bromley Council, Civic Centre, Stockwell Close, Bromley, BR1 3UH   Manage your subscriptions here

Bromley Neighbourhood Watch Association ​ News

Our Newsletters keep you abreast of news and events from sources such as local Police, Bromley Council, Action Fraud and the Met’s Cyber Crime Unit. Please forward them to your Watch members, friends and family.

COVID-19 VACCINATION SCAM ALERT

We’ve been asked by the Met Police Cyber Crime Unit to warn you people are receiving fraudulent calls and text messages offering a COVID-19 vaccination. In some cases, people are asked to press a number on their keypad or send a text message to confirm they wish to receive the vaccine. Doing so is likely to result in a charge being applied to your phone bill.

In other cases, callers are offering the vaccine for a fee or asking for bank details.

THESE ARE SCAMS!

The vaccine is only available from the NHS and the NHS will contact you when it is your turn. At present, actual appointments are only being offered to members of the public over 80 years old.

Like all scams, the same rules apply; 

• Don’t click on links or attachments in unexpected texts, emails or messages.
• Challenge every request for your personal details.
• It doesn’t matter what they say or what they know about you, don’t respond to
  unexpected phone calls, hang up, take five then verify the claim via a trusted method. (such as the usual website or official phone number).

The NHS will:

• NEVER ask you to press a button on your keypad or send a text asking you to confirm you want the vaccine. 
• NEVER ask for payment for the vaccine or for your bank details.

If you believe you have been the victim of fraud or identity theft, you should report this directly to Action Fraud either online; https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ or via phone 0300 123 2040.

Where the victim is vulnerable, report it to the MPS online or call 101. 

Further details of this scam can be found on the Which? Website via this link:
https://conversation.which.co.uk/scams/scam-nhs-covid-vaccine-text-message/ 

 

Kind regards,

 Bromley Neighbourhood Watch Association ​

 

Find us on the Web at: www.bnwa.co.uk

Bromley Open Space Consultation by Bromley

Bromley has published a document intended to allow residents to view and comment on the proposals. 

There is a survey form to complete by 6th January 2021

Click on the link below to view the draft document and to submit your responses

https://coperscope.wordpress.com/2020/12/29/bromley-council-open-space-strategy-have-your-say-by-7-jan-2021/

Update of revised rules for tier 4

COVID-19 UPDATE: REVISED RULES EFFECTIVE FROM   

      SUNDAY 20 DECEMBER 

With effect from today, Sunday 20 December, Bromley (along with other London boroughs and other parts of the country) is placed in Tier 4 (Stay at home).  As a result, revised rules will apply immediately and over the Christmas holiday.  This may well affect your holiday plans.  

Please check how the new rules affect you and your family by clicking on the following links –

 Tier 4: Stay at home       

 Christmas holiday

 An important point to note is that you must not leave or be outside of your home except for where you have a specific purpose, or a ‘reasonable excuse’ as listed in the guidance. Also, you cannot make a Christmas bubble in Tier 4.

 

COVID-19 UPDATE - CHANGE OF STATUS TO TIER 3

Dear LERA colleagues 

From 12.01am on Wednesday 16 December Bromley (along with the rest of Greater London and certain areas in neighbouring counties) will be placed in Tier 3 (Very High alert).  For further information on how the new restrictions will apply, click on this link

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-3-very-high-alert

 

Also, please see the link below the latest Update from Bromley Council. 

We are also publicising this information via LERA’s digital channels. 

Regards

 

Pat

Covid-19 Special Reminder Newsletter

Covid-19 Special Reminder Newsletter

Improve Your Cyber Security By Taking Six Actions

Due to coronavirus, more people will be doing their festive shopping online this year.

This means more opportunities for hackers to carry out cyber attacks. They often do this by targeting people and businesses using:

* email and website scams
* malware - software that can damage your device or let a hacker in
* If hackers get into your device or accounts, they could access your money, your personal information, or information about your business.

You can improve your cyber security by taking six actions: Click on the link belwo

 cyberaware.gov.uk