PPI is an insurance often sold with a bank loan or credit card. It is purchased to protect your repayments should you find yourself unable to work for any reason, the general assumption being that your PPI will cover the repayments of your loan if you ever find yourself in this position. So it must be a good thing, yes? Well, actually it’s been discovered that a high percentage of PPI policies were in fact worthless, and would have been of little benefit to a person making a claim. In fact, many people who were sold PPI did not even know they had the policy!

It’s quite easy to assess whether you may have been mis-sold payment protection insurance. If you can answer yes to any of the statements below you may be entitled to make a payment protection insurance claim.

1. You didn’t ask for PPI but it was added to the policy anyway.
2. You were told the PPI was compulsory, or your loan or credit card will not be approved without it.
3. You were not made aware that PPI was optional, or you were not told you could shop around for it elsewhere.
4. You were unemployed, self-employed or retired when you took out the cover.

So now you will have a good idea of whether or not you are in a position to reclaim payment protection insurance. The next question you are probably asking is “so what do I do about it?”. Well, you are now able to pursue a company to help you make your claim.

A claims company will do all of the hard work for you. There are many around and most work on a no win, no fee policy. This means if your claim is unsuccessful you pay the claims company nothing, so you have nothing to lose! A good claims company will help you every step of the way so you do not have to deal with the bank yourself.

Good luck with your claim!

If you want to find out more about making a payment protection insurance claim visit ABC Claims Management. ABC is one of the UK’s leading claims management companies. They offer free consultations either via the telephone or in a face to face meeting in your own home, and they work on a no win, no fee basis.

Click here for more information on mis-sold payment protection insurance.

Tyre failure can be a stressful and frustrating experience. As well as the possibility of having an accident if you have a blowout, there is the expense of having the tyre replaced and the inconvenience of not being able to get where you wanted to go. Tyre problems account for around 10% of all breakdowns, but there are some simple things you can do to avoid them.

Type pressureOne of the easiest ways to keep your tyres in shape is to make sure the pressures are correct. It is recommended to check once a month, as both over and under inflation can cause damage. Under-inflated tyres increase fuel consumption and tend to overheat, causing damage to the structure of the tyre. Over inflation causes uneven wear and reduces grip. Buying a pressure monitor or gauge is a simple way to check tyre pressures at home.

Valves
A common cause of a flat or underinflated tyre is a faulty valve stem. Valves can be damaged by dirt or get worn out, but are surprisingly simple to replace. A wide variety of valves are available online, including angled, chrome sleeve and tubeless varieties, as well as tools for fitting them.

Damage
The most obvious cause of a flat tyre is a puncture. Glass, nails and other nasty things can easily damage the rubber. While this can be difficult to avoid at times, it is best to drive around any objects you see in the road – if it is safe to do so. Fortunately, this sort of damage can often be repaired with patches, so it might not be necessary to buy a new tyre.

Aluminium wheels
Aluminium alloy wheels can cause tyres to leak occasionally from the ‘bead’, where the tyre meets the wheel. This makes it even more important to check the pressure of the tyres. In most cases leakage will not be a huge problem as the wheels can be cleaned up and re-sealed, but if the problem is not caught early enough the tyres could be badly damaged.

Overall, the best solution is to check your tires regularly for problems and go to a reputable company for repairs and replacement parts.

Young Automotive Direct are a UK distributor of products for tyre maintenance and repair. They have a wide range of tools, patches, valves and weights, and can help keep your tyres in great condition.
Click here for their range of tyre valves.

Summer is the perfect time to create the garden of which you have always dreamed. As the weather becomes warmer, we find ourselves drawn out of the house, hoping to make the most of the rare British sunshine with barbeques, al fresco dining and relaxing in beautiful surroundings.

If your garden lacks interest or a focal point, or you just want to create an oasis of calm where you can enjoy an iced drink on a summer’s day, why not add a water feature such as a fountain, pond or statue? The simple addition of a water fountain can transform a plain garden into a haven ideal for outdoor entertaining, dining or sunbathing.

Creating a water feature may not be as difficult as you think. The key to installing a pond, water course, cascade or fountain feature is as simple as understanding what to buy. Good water garden specialists such as this one offer a wide range of water features and accessories such as pond pumps.

Here is our guide to what you will need for each water feature.

PondsA pond can be a beautiful addition to any garden. Ponds are a versatile water feature, available in any size or shape, with the option to include fish, plants or other water features. Your pond will require either pond liner or a preformed basin to create the pool. You should also opt for pond underlay, which goes underneath the liner to protect against punctures from stones or roots. An online liner calculator will offer insight into the measurements you will require.

Pond pumps and filters are essential to maintain water quality. Filter pumps provide easy cleaning for anything from small ponds to 200,000 litre lakes. You should ideally choose a pond pump which is capable of turning over all the water approximately every 2 hours. First you should calculate the volume of the pond using measurements in meters; this is done by calculating length x width x depth, then multiplying your result by 1000 to convert to litres.

Pond pumps are categorised by their flow of water in litres per hour, so as you need to clean the entire volume every 2 hours, your pond volume should be around half of the pump’s turnover per hour. Filter pond pumps are easy to install and control, and require very little maintenance.

An additional feature pump can be used to create a fountain, watercourse or cascade within your pond. These are great for creating a more dramatic feature, and solar powered varieties require no running costs and little to no maintenance after initial installation.

Self Contained Water FeaturesSome water features stand alone, meaning the feature has everything you need (including the pump) built in. They do not require a pond like some fountains and features, so are ideal for those looking to add the soothing sound of water and a beautiful focal point to their garden with minimal costs, knowledge and work.

They are available in a wide range of contemporary and traditional designs, such as wooden barrel fountains, stainless steel spheres and tube cascades, sculptures and bird baths with fountains. Many are solar powered, offering an eco-friendly, inexpensive and low maintenance option. Some self contained water fountains also contain LED lights, meaning you can enjoy your feature even when the nights draw in.

These units are extremely simple to install, often just requiring water. As self contained water features are usually much smaller than ponds or other features, they are ideal for smaller gardens, patios or balconies, and some can even be used as indoor features.

A specialist retailer such as Water Garden offer a wide range of water features and accessories, and more tips and advice on choosing a pond pump. Visit their website to begin your garden’s transformation.

Before embarking upon any construction project, you need to know the lay of the land. That is, every important feature in the area you plan to work on should be accurately mapped.

Utility detection plays a vital role in this pre-construction procedure. Its essential to factor in important topographic elements when conducting a feasibility study.

After all, no-one is going to be impressed if you inadvertently damage a gas main or knock over telegraph poles. These might sound like mistakes that would be too obvious to make, but the fact remains that underground mapping and analysing key surface utilities is vital if you want to avoid any potential mishaps.

With a comprehensive and easy-to-read survey in front of you, risks can be eliminated or minimised right from the design process.

Keeping a permanent recordAs part of an excavation project a permanent record may need to be kept of the surveyed site. Likewise, this may be the case even if a project is just at its developmental stage.

Should a client need to re-visit the design, already having the necessary information available is pretty useful.

But how does this type of surveying work? And what do the results of underground mapping look like?

Using pioneering ground penetrating radar, a clear picture of whats lying around is soon produced. Metal pipes, plastic pipes, drainage systems, electricity cables, telecoms and fibre optic cables can all be located. In other words, if its buried itll show up and be added to the map.

As you might expect, theres quite a lot going on underground. So, for readability utilities will be colour-coded and mapped accordingly to type.

You may also have recently seen some funky coloured lines painted onto the road surface in your neighbourhood. Chances are a utility detection survey was taking place. But dont worry, this kind of paint is biodegradable and isnt going to leave a permanent mark.
However, want to know the best part of utilising these techniques?

A bespoke survey performs detailed analysis without the nuisance caused by digging up and repairing roads.

Contractors get to see real-time information while everyone else remains unaffected by whats going on around them.

The complete picture

Of course, there are plenty of features and utilities on the ground surface too. Thats why quality utility mapping will also detail all those other items that need to be considered before undertaking any construction works.

Inspection chambers, valve boxes and even street furniture, amongst other items, can be included. All data is then referenced to an arbitrary grid and level datum as standard.
Before any contractor takes on a project, theyll need to know everything about the area theyre dealing with.

Underground mapping and utility detection that uses the latest technology provides an invaluable source of information.

SUMO Services undertake quality utility detection surveys for contractors. Using the latest technology, they successfully map the location of buried utilities and ground surface features.
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