News and industry related posts

We Are Currently Looking For A Mechanic.

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 16:02:24 GMT

We are currently looking for an experience mechanic to join our team.

If you are mechanic and looking to work in a successful, independent garage with a small close knit team of other mechanics we would love to hear from you.

British new car sales rose by more than 3,000% in April

Wed, 05 May 2021 12:03:44 GMT

British new car sales rose by more than 3,000% in April as the reopening of dealerships to the public in England helped boost figures compared to the same time last year when the first lockdown almost completely wiped out volumes.

Registrations stood at 141,583 vehicles, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), up from just 4,321 in April 2020, the lowest level of any month since February 1946 as plants and showrooms shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dealerships reopened to the public from April 12 in England while delivery, click and collect and online services also facilitated purchases. Plants have continued to operate with COVID-safe measures in place.

But last month's performance was still 13% below the 2010-2019 average, the SMMT said.

"After one of the darkest years in automotive history, there is light at the end of the tunnel," said SMMT boss Mike Hawes.

"A full recovery for the sector is still some way off, but with showrooms open and consumers able to test drive the latest, cleanest models, the industry can begin to rebuild."

To read this article on its original source please click here

Vaccine Rollout

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 11:14:54 GMT

Covid-19: Novavax vaccine shows 89% efficacy in UK trials

A new coronavirus vaccine has been shown to be 89% effective in large-scale UK trials.

The Novavax jab is the first to show in trials that it is effective against the new virus variant found in the UK, the BBC's medical editor Fergus Walsh said.

The UK has secured 60 million doses of the jab, which will be made in Stockton-on-Tees in north-east England.

Meanwhile, a single-dose vaccine developed by Janssen is 66% effective , trial results have shown.

Janssen, a company owned by Johnson & Johnson, is also investigating whether giving two doses will give either stronger or longer-lasting protection.

The company said its initial findings showed one dose prevented 85% of severe cases.

Both the Novavax and Janssen jabs will need to be reviewed by regulators before they can be used.

The PM welcomed the "good news", with doses of the Novavax jab expected to be delivered in the second half of this year if approved for use by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the government said.

The UK has so far approved three coronavirus vaccines for emergency use - one from Oxford University and AstraZeneca, another by Pfizer and BioNTech, and a third from drug firm Moderna.

The Novavax jab, which is given in two doses, was shown to be 89.3% effective at preventing Covid-19 in participants in its Phase 3 clinical trial in the UK, and around 86% effective at protecting against the new UK variant. The jab's efficacy against the original Covid-19 strain was calculated to be 95.6% .

The Phase 3 trials - the final stage before a vaccine is looked at by a regulator - enrolled more than 15,000 people aged between 18-84, of whom 27% were older than 65, US firm Novavax said.

In the South African part of the trial, where most of the cases were the South African variant of the virus, the vaccine was 60% effective among those without HIV.

Stan Erck, chief executive of Novavax, said the results from the UK trial were "spectacular" and "as good as we could have hoped", while the efficacy in South Africa was "above people's expectations".

He told the BBC the manufacturing plant in Stockton-on-Tees should be up and running by March or April, with the company hoping to get approval for the vaccine from the MHRA around the same time.

To find out more information and to read the original source of this post, please click here which will take you to the BBC's website.

National Lockdown 3.0

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 12:20:43 GMT

National lockdown: Stay at Home

Summary: what you can and cannot do during the national lockdown

You must stay at home. The single most important action we can all take is to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives.

You should follow this guidance immediately. This is the law .

Leaving home

You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary. You may leave the home to:

shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person
go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home
exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person (in which case you should stay 2m apart ). Exercise should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one
seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
attend education or childcare - for those eligible

If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local - unless it is necessary to go further, for example to go to work. Stay local means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live.

If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you are advised to only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential. We recommend that you do not attend work

Meeting others

You cannot leave your home to meet socially with anyone you do not live with or are not in a support bubble with (if you are legally permitted to form one).

You may exercise on your own, with one other person, or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.

You cannot meet other people you do not live with, or have not formed a support bubble with, unless for a permitted reason.

Stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household or support bubble.

Education

Colleges, primary and secondary schools will remain open only for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers . All other children will learn remotely until February half term.

Early years settings remain open.

Higher Education provision will remain online until mid February for all except future critical worker courses.

To see the original source of this post and for more information. Please click here which will take you to the UK Government's website.

A new era for the United Kingdom has begun having just left the European Union

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 09:47:03 GMT

A new era has begun for the United Kingdom after it completed its formal separation from the European Union.

The UK stopped following EU rules at 23:00 GMT, as replacement arrangements for travel, trade, immigration and security co-operation came into force.

Boris Johnson said the UK had "freedom in our hands" and the ability to do things "differently and better" now the long Brexit process was over.

To read the full article please click here which will take you to the BBC's website.

MOT's are mandatory even during lockdown periods

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 13:44:10 GMT

Even during Lockdown period it is still mandatory that if your car has an MOT due that it is carried out.

Coronavirus: Mandatory MOTs to be reintroduced from August.

Mandatory MOTs for vehicles in England, Scotland and Wales will be reintroduced from 1 August, the government has said . Drivers have been allowed to delay the test for six months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but there are growing concerns about road safety.

Roads Minister Baroness Vere said MOTs would be key as restrictions were eased and more people returned to the roads.

"Garages across the country are open and I urge drivers who are due for their MOT to book a test," she said.

In normal circumstances, vehicles must have an MOT on the third anniversary of their registration, and then every 12 months.

A number of vehicle parts are checked to ensure they meet safety standards.

Since 30 March, owners of cars, vans and motorcycles have been eligible for a six-month exemption, with that stretching to one year in Northern Ireland.

However, the policy has created anxiety among some drivers, given that one in three vehicles typically fail their test.

A survey by Halfords found that more than four in 10 motorists were concerned about the condition of other vehicles on the road. Meanwhile, only 2% felt there might be an issue with their own vehicle.

AA president Edmund King said: "It makes sense to reintroduce MOT testing from 1 August now that Covid-19 restrictions are being lifted and all garages and dealerships are open.

"Car traffic is on the increase already and will grow as more drivers return to the road with the reopening of hospitality and travel with their families for staycation holidays."

Vehicle owners with an MOT due date before 1 August will still receive a six-month exemption, the government said.

However, it urged all drivers to ensure their cars were roadworthy and properly maintained.

The announcement does not apply to Northern Ireland, where drivers have been given a 12-month exemption from the test. If you would like to go to the original source of this article please click here which will take you to the BBC website.