Gavin

For loft insulation, head to Wickes: buy one get three (yes, 3) free on 200mm loft roll (6m2) for ?33. Buy more than you think you'll need and double up with any excess. I just did my loft for ?66, plus a tenner for a decent mask and decorator's suit. http://www.wickes.co.uk/200mm-Loft-Roll-Insulation/invt/161279

Hi James, I wonder if you can shed some light on Southwark's position in respect of grit bins, not least to understand why there are only 106 for the whole borough (even if that is double previous years)? The majority are located on resilience network routes, which are already the focus for gritting lorries, leaving residents on (particularly hilly) side roads with few options. The map (for anyone interested) is here: http://maps.southwark.gov.uk/connect/southwark.jsp?mapcfg=Winter_maintenance&tooltip=WM_tip Personally I would be very happy to muck in, but my nearest grit bin is at least a couple of hundred metres away, which is too far to be of practical value. Cheers, Gavin

My guess is that this is indicative of how tough the economy has become (or perhaps always has been) for some people. As an example, I recently spotted two small tents pitched in the middle of some scrubland in ED. My sister recently cleared out her house, putting stuff outside with a sign for people to help themselves. Suffice to say that it didn't take long for word to spread, and a procession of people took it almost all away. Incidentally, I don't think the cases above would merit a 999 call. If you are concerned then a call to the local police station - or even directly to the Safer Neighbourhoods Team - might be better. If they think immediate action is required then they can summon it.

I put a battered old trunk that I found in the loft in our front garden the other week, and within literally 5 minutes it was gone (I didn't see who took it). To be honest, someone did me a favour. The broader lesson may be that, in practical terms, there is no such thing as storing items in the front garden. Strictly speaking it was theft - I think the same may apply to taking items out of skips.

Does anyone else feel unexpectedly angry/despondent at the sight of Christmas stuff on sale in September?

Hi Sue - quick suggestion: put a spare mortice lock key on a nail or hook somewhere near the front door where you can easily reach it, but it is well out of reach of the letter box and cannot be seen from outside. That way it is always to hand in an emergency so you can get out, but not obvious to anyone trying to get in. If you are going to be away overnight, try and remember to hide it somewhere so that if someone does get into your house by another route they can't easily walk out the front door - or better still deadlock your nightlatch (e.g. Yale lock) if you have one so that it can't be opened from the inside without a key.

t-mobile have a 'service check' where you can input your postcode to check you should have a good mobile broadband service before signing up. If it confirms that you should, I think I am correct in saying that you then have 7 days to change to your mind after receiving the dongle. 3 has a mobile wireless broadband modem which looks like a good bet, if a bit more pricey, if you have more than one computer. For what it's worth, t-mobile also do a rolling 30-day sim-only contract for phones which I reckon is good value (no I don't work for them).

I'm on t-mobile in SE5, and have had a bit of a nightmare over the last month with network problems (something to do with a dodgy local transmitter according to t-mobile). Seems to have settled down in the last week, but regular removal/refitting of the USB seems to be required to keep the connection working well, and download speeds vary enourmously from one minute to the next.

Have a look here - advice from the Information Commissioner's Office on CCTV and the DPA 'Most uses of CCTV will be covered by the Data Protection Act. This gives you the right to see information held about you, including CCTV images of you, or images which give away information about you (such as your car number plate).' 'An organisation may need to disclose CCTV images for legal reasons - for example, crime detection. Once they have given the images to another organisation, then that organisation must adhere to the Data Protection Act in their handling of the images.' The DPA can be a lazy way for organisations to be unhelpful. In the present case it would probably be quickest if the police requested the CCTV footage. They are more likely to do this if you can convince them that the crime scene is covered by CCTV coverage, and provide details of the cameras.

Martin, it would be interesting to know what the police response to this incident has been. If I may be so bold, I have a few suggestions: First up, the eyes and ears of the Sainsbury's car park are surely the car washers (plus trolley collectors) - I have driven in to the car park and they clock every car. They would be the first people to talk to. If you have a photo of the car take it along - their English isn't great in my experience. Second, did you approach Sainsbury's and/or the car park owner about CCTV? What about the nursery? Any CCTV on Dog Kennel Hill (bound to be)? Did you get anywhere with them? The fact that you know within a 15 minute window when the car was taken would make a trawl of recorded footage very easy - but move quickly before it is deleted. Thirdly, if you haven't already done so it might be worth putting a call in to the local Safer Neighbourhoods police team. You could do worse than specifically ask them to request a check of ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras for your number plate (including but not limited to the congestion charge cameras - there are ANPR cameras everywhere, esp. on larger roads into/out of London, plus the whole motorway network). Speed and bus lane cameras too. Also, ask the police about any other recent car crime in the Sainsbury's car park, especially cars being stolen. If it's a routine problem the police are more likely to respond. If you aren't happy with the police response contact your councillor. Good luck - and let us know how you get on. Gavin