Articles by James Rodger

Technology

Drivers warned over parking in their own garages this winter

A mechanic has warned parking in your own garage could destroy your vehicle. Road users could damage their vehicles by making one error this winter, according to top specialists. Scotty Kilmer, a top mechanic with a huge YouTube following, says salt can “ruin” cars when they are parked inside warmer garages. Scotty said: "You might not want to put your car in the garage in the winter, the salt on the road that they use in the winter to de-ice can ruin your car if you put it in a heated garage. READ MORE £65,000 warning for thousands of women with babies under age five “Salt rots the metal in your car not in solid form but in liquid form. If it's freezing cold outside there’s no water solution and nothing gets eaten up. You pull it in the garage, it melts and the rust starts making lunch of your car.” “So if you want a rust-free car, leave it on the street in the winter if it's freezing outside.” Four-in-10 say there’s not even enough room to get in and out of the car in the garage; 30% say their cars are just too big in the first place. More than half (5.7m) of the UK’s estimated 11m garages are not used to park cars in… mostly because they’re too full of household junk, according to new research carried out by RAC Home Insurance. Fifty-three per cent of drivers with garages claim never to put their cars in them, with just four-in-10 (40%) doing so on a regular basis and 8% occasionally. Instead, 70% say they leave their vehicles on the drive and two-fifths (18%) on the street, with the remainder using private or public car parks. By far and away the number-one reason for failing to use garages for the purpose they were intended is that they have too many other items stored in them – a fact that 68% of drivers with garages admitted to. Among the items most commonly kept in UK garages are DIY tools and materials (90%), gardening tools and garden furniture (74%), push bikes and scooters (55%), welly boots and shoes (36%) and camping equipment (24%).

Technology

Co-op issues store closure warning and urges government to intervene

The Co-op has warned s mall shops could face closure without business rates reform. The Co-operative is urging the Labour Party government to commit to the maximum levels of relief for smaller stores in the upcoming Autumn Budget on November 24. The Co-op has warned that up to 60,000 small shops across the UK could face closure without upcoming business rates reform for small shops. Shirine Khoury-Haq, Co-op group chief executive, said: "The proposed system would improve the financial situation of 99% of retailers. "How much they are protected from tax rises depends on decisions made in this Budget. To boost local economies, create jobs and provide community cohesion, we need inclusive growth." READ MORE £65,000 warning for thousands of women with babies under age five "That means supporting the businesses on the corners, in the precincts, on the parades and the high streets of every community. " In order for them to not only survive, but to thrive, the government has to commit to the maximum levels of relief.” In August, a letter signed by Morrisons , Aldi and JD Sports, warned that further tax rises on businesses could result in the Labour government breaking its manifesto pledge to provide “high living standards”. It reads: "As retailers, we have done everything we can to shield our customers from the worst inflationary pressures but as they persist, it is becoming more and more challenging for us to absorb the cost pressures we face.” A Treasury spokesperson said: “We are creating a fairer business rates system to protect the high street, support investment, and level the playing field by introducing permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties from April that will be sustainably funded by a new, higher rate on less than 1% of the most valuable business properties. “Unlike the current relief for these properties, there will be no cash cap on the new lower tax rates, and we have set out our long-term plans to address ‘cliff edges’ in the system to support small businesses to expand.”