Other News In Brief

West Tyrone MLA Calls For Urgent Action On A5 Upgrade

The A5 road cannot be allowed to claim anymore lives, SDLP West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan has said, after two people were killed on the Doogary Road, near Omagh on Tuesday night.

Calling for immediate action to progress the road upgrade, West Tyrone MLA Mr McCrossan said: "Once again we wake up this morning to the devastating news that two young people have lost their lives on the A5 road. My thoughts are with their families and friends today as they come to terms with this tragedy. I cannot imagine what they are going through and I know the community will rally around them.

"Since the return of Stormont we have already seen a number of deaths on the A5, this is happening on a regular basis and our community can not continue to brave these losses. Every day people are leaving their homes to travel on this road, causing huge worry in their families who can’t be sure that they will come home.

"We need to progress on the A5 redevelopment, we cannot afford any more delays, people’s lives are literally are stake and no excuse can be justified. We need to see the Infrastructure Minister publish the PAC findings and set a firm date for work to begin on the A5 before the end of this year. This news today is another awful reminder of the danger that everyone who travels on this road faces and it is long past time we do something about it."

DAERA Minister Meets With Climate Change Committee

DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has met with the Interim Chair and Acting CEO of UK Climate Change Committee, (CCC) during their visit to Belfast.

Welcoming the CCC to Clare House, Minister Muir said: "I would like to confirm my commitment to Northern Ireland working towards meeting the legislated for net zero by 2050 target and thank the CCC for the expert advice they have provided to date.

"My top priority is to take action to tackle the climate emergency. I am delighted to have delivered the first commitment from our Northern Ireland climate change Act recently by bringing forward legislation for Public Bodies to report on their climate change impacts and resilience.

"I recognise that delivering net zero can bring significant benefits and opportunities for the people of Northern Ireland. In particular through increased economic opportunities, better air and water quality, employment, wellbeing and environmental benefits.

"Within Northern Ireland we are already experiencing the impacts of climate change and it is important that we take action to both reduce our emissions and ensure we have a climate resilient society, economy and environment. "I am determined to drive forward action to further reduce Northern Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions, working in partnership with my Executive colleagues. As we work to meet targets set in our Climate Change legislation, it is essential that the actions we take are science and evidence based and informed by internal and external stakeholders such as the CCC. Its expert and independent advice is extremely helpful as we plan our trajectory towards achieving our emission reduction targets and I look forward to continued engagement, as we chart our path to net zero."

Lurgan Trader Sentenced To Community Service For Unfinished Work

A self-employed trader from Lurgan has been sentenced to 100 hours community service at Belfast Crown Court.

In a case brought by the Department for the Economy's Trading Standards Service (TSS), Benjamin George McCaughley (34) of Springhill Road, Lurgan, trading as both Regional Contractors and Complete Home improvements, pleaded guilty to 20 charges under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

All nine victims complained to TSS after employing Mr McCaughley to carry out improvement works to their properties between January 2020 and December 2022.

Following an extensive investigation by TSS it was discovered that Mr McCaughley took a total of £92,000 from nine victims for work to be completed at their properties, including roofing, cladding, driveway repairs, gardening and landscaping. In all nine cases the victims were left with either unfinished work or with work that was carried out to an extremely poor standard.

In seven of the nine cases, Mr McCaughley informed the victims that his work came guaranteed, in some cases for 10 years. Unfortunately, when they encountered problems with the work and approached Mr McCaughley to rectify matters he repeatedly ignored them and that the promise of a guarantee was entirely false.

Some of the victims also tried to obtain redress by sending letters the addresses quoted in Mr McCaughley's flyers or invoices but received no responses. Investigations by the TSS found that these related to the addresses of virtual offices which Mr McCaughley had no authority to use.

Alison Gilchrist of the TSS said: "This is a serious example of a rogue trader failing to complete agreed work, carrying out substandard work and providing his victims with false information relating to his trading details. Mr McCaughley received a total of £92,000 from the nine complainants covered by these cases and every single one had grounds for complaint. Many of the victims have been left in need of further expenditure for repair work."

Ms Gilchrist added: "Rogue traders cause a huge amount of upset and stress to their victims who have worked hard and saved to pay for what they think will be improvements to their home. At a time of rising prices and increased cost of living it is hugely important for consumers to have confidence in local tradespeople and to expect good quality, professional services. TSS will continue to seek to protect consumers in NI by raising awareness of the activities of rogue traders, supporting consumers when targeted by rogue traders and investigating these traders to ensure that appropriate action is taken against them."