Wills Blog

There is a common misconception among people in today’s society that you do not need to make a Will unless you are old. This stems from people living longer and better healthcare meaning most people think they will reach old age and believe it is not something they need to think about whilst they are still young.

Unfortunately statistics show that over half the population of adults in Britain have not yet written a Will.  If you are one of the 59% of adults, then in the event of your death the rules of intestacy will apply. Many people are unaware that if you die without a will and do not have relatives by blood or marriage then your estate will pass to the Crown (basically the Queen). Do you really want that to happen?

We have identified 8 reasons below why everyone, no matter their age, marriage status or circumstances should have a will.

• You decide how your estate will be distributed.

If you do not make a will then the government will decide how your estate will be distributed, this is known as dying intestate. Many people believe if they are married then they do not need to make a will as their assets will automatically transfer to their spouse but this is not necessarily the case.

If you die without a will and your estate exceeds £250,000 then your spouse will be entitled to £250,000 however anything over this amount will be split equally between any children with the spouse retaining a life interest.

You can also make a tax saving by distributing your assets in a certain way.

• If you are not married.

In the case where you are not married but you are in a relationship or cohabiting, the rules of intestacy mean that your assets will not automatically pass to your partner in the event of your death.

Aside from joint assets which pass to the remaining owner, your own assets will pass back to your next of kin under intestacy rules. This may mean your assets go to someone who you did not want to have them and in some cases can lead to inevitable disputes and the possibility that your partner could end up in financial hardship.

If you have not had an English marriage then you are not classed as a married in the eyes of the Law. If you have concerns on this then you can speak to our Family Law Team who can guide you.

• Separated but not divorced.

If you are not divorced and you die without having made a will your assets under £250,000 will automatically pass to your ex-partner even if you are separated

• You can include anyone you would like to inherit from your estate in your will

The intestacy rules mean that if you are married or have blood relations then they will stand to gain something from your estate.

However, many people have important people in their life who do not fall under the term relatives, this can include carers, friends, godchildren, ect. If you were to die without a will then these people will not be considered during the administration of your estate.

• Appointing a guardian for your children.

For people with young children the making of a will is of particular importance, without a will in place the courts will decide where is best to place your children should both parents pass away, they may be placed with someone you would not want to raise your children or someone you may have a grievance with.

It is also equally important to think about providing for your children in your will and whether or not the guardian you will appoint will need financial help with raising your children.

• Making gifts and donations to specific people.

Many people have assets or sentimental items that upon their death have a person in mind whom they would like to inherit these items. In the event of your death a will can make sure specific items end up with the person intended. This avoids family disputes over who should get certain items.

Gifts of up to £13,000 are also excluded from estate tax which makes giving gifts in a will all the more appealing.

• You decide who deals with your affairs.

Executors are appointed In the event of a person’s death and these are the people who oversee and manage the distribution of your estate. They pay bills, notify banks ect and play the biggest role within administration of estate.

A will allows you to appoint someone you wish to deal with your estate, this person does not have to be a family member but someone you trust and deem honest.

• Avoiding family disputes

In what can already be an emotional time, having a will can avoid further upset and disputes between family members with regards to what your wishes may have been. Having a will means your wishes are down on paper for family member to see.

How Long Is My Claim Going to Take?

Working in the personal injury claims department the most common question we encounter every day is how long will my claim take.

Not all claims follow the same timescales and some claims do settle much faster than others. This all depends on the circumstances of each individual claim.

A claim can take anywhere from a few months to a few years to settle, the two factors which impact the timescale of the claim are:

• Liability

If liability is admitted, which means that the third party insurers are accepting their policyholder is at fault for the accident then your claim is more than likely to be straightforward and we may be able to provide you with a more accurate timeline to look at.

If liability is denied this means that the third party insurers are not accepting fault for your injuries then we will need to gather as much evidence as possible in order to prove otherwise, this can take longer but is necessary in order to be successful in your claim.

There are also circumstances where the third party insurers do not have enough evidence on their side in order to provide a decision on liability and In these circumstances the third party insurers are given a three month period in which to investigate and confirm their stance on liability.

• Medical Evidence

During your claim you will be asked to attend a medical appointment and a medical report will be produced and this will be submitted to the third party insurers as evidence for your injuries as it is your duty to prove you were injured in the accident.

Some injuries sustained in accidents will require specific experts and sometimes more than one appointment in order to provide complete evidence.

The medical expert will provide a prognosis period for each injury and this can range from weeks or months to years depending on the severity of the injuries.

We advise our clients not to proceed to settle their claim until they are fully recovered from their injuries however there is the option to settle earlier if you are happy with the prognosis period provided and believe you will be recovered in that time.

We do however warn our clients that this option means that you could be undersettling your claim and if you do not recover in the specified time then you will not be able to claim further compensation.

Once liability concerns have been alleviated and conclusive evidence has been obtained in support of your injuries and other damages then we can look to begin settlement negotiations.

To give an approximate time frame our average road traffic accident case with a whiplash injury takes around 3 months to settle. However the quickest case we have settled has been 35 days! As mentioned above complex cases do take longer.

Please note also that you only have three years in which to make your claim from the date of your accident.

The best way to make sure your claim proceeds as efficiently as possible is to contact us as soon as possible after the injury so we can get your claim moving as early as possible.

Flight Delay Compensation

Love travelling? Worried about travelling in case of a long delays? Have you booked the dream holiday with your loved ones which has then been ruined due to long delays at the airport? We have all had it at times, being stuck in the airport with crying children while you wait with baited breath to find out how late your flight will be.

If your flight has been delayed or cancelled in the last 6 years then you may be entitled to statutory compensation.  The claim is made under EU Rule 261/2004.

In 2012, the European Court of Justice decided that passengers who had suffered long delays on flights would be entitled to compensation. Answer a few qualifying questions and see if you could be entitled to any extra cash.

The basic rule is that if the flight has been delayed due to the airline’s fault, if you fall into the criteria you will be entitled to compensation. The airlines have to pay a fixed amount of compensation to each passenger travelling.  A departing flight can be any airline but must be leaving an EU airport and travelling anywhere in the world. The flight has to be delayed for 3 hours + or delayed. However on the way back into Europe the flight must be with an EU airline.

What was the reason for the delay or cancellation? If it was the fault of the airline then you have a claim. The delay has to be in control of the airline. If the delay is out of the control of the airline for example the flight was delayed / cancelled due to the weather, political unrest or strike action you will not be able to claim as this is deemed as unforeseen circumstances. They are not the airline’s fault.

The delay must 3 or more hours on arrival to your final destination. The length of the delay determines the amount of compensation you are entitled to.

Each passenger travelling is entitled to compensation, so for a family of 4 people travelling they each get the compensation individually. The amount payable is paid in Euros. Each person can claim up to 600 euros.  It does not matter how much you have paid for the ticket you will still get the same fixed amount.

We at Nayyars have successfully recovered thousands of pounds in companion to many families and individuals. We have are happy to take all qualifying claims and try and recover the maximum compensation for all. These cases are run on a No Win No Fee Basis so you have nothing to lose. Please contact our Specialist Flight Delay Team to get your case started.
Emma Khan.

Nayyars Raffle Prizes – Romania Mission 2017

In aid of the Romania Mission 2017, Draw to take place Live on Facebook on 30^th June 2017, £1 per Ticket, Call now to purchase a raffle ticket

Prizes Available:

• Teeth Whitening Treatment (worth over £300) by Church Road Dental, Cheadle Hulme
• 7 day spa access for Last Drop Village, Bolton
• £40 meal voucher for Club Individual
• Breakfast for 2 at Fox’s, Hale Barnes
• Full make over by Space NK
• Reflexology or Indian Massage Session by Helen Day, Reflexology
• Arrive and Drive session for 1 at Daytona, Manchester
• Derma Pen Rejuvenating Treatment (worth £250) by MediSpa, Wilmslow
• 5 One Day Passes for Total Fitness
• “Family of 4” entry to Knowsley Safari Park
• Large outdoor plant from Steve the Flower Pot Man, Wilmslow
• Meal for 2 at The Meating Room, Manchester
• Pedicure by Mehak’s Glamour Lounge
• Ice Cream for 4 at Fireworks, Altrincham
• Child Cake Decorating Class Voucher for Cake Creamery, Stockport
• 3 Course Meal for 2 at Buffalo, Chorlton
• Photography Session at Neil Barrett Photography worth £185.00
• Bottle of Moet Champagne
• Ride in a Rolls Royce Phantom
• £25 voucher for Fazenda Restaurant, Manchester
• Large Fresh Cream Cake from Zahra Cakes
• File and Polish at Happy Nails
• Meal for 2 at Relish’d, Manchester
• Large Pizza from Dominoes
• Bouquet of Tropical Flowers from Plantation Flowers, Bolton
• Tea for 2 at Lilo and Me, Cheadle
• Wash, Cut and Blow and Mehak’s Glamour Lounge
• £50 voucher to spend at Chilli Banana, Wilmslow
• 4 Weeks of Ladies Boot Camp Classes at Lil Warriors Martial Arts Club
• £20 Voucher for Cheadle Tanning Studio
• Framed Personalised Print from Signed, Sealed and Delivered
• 5 One Day Passes at Total Fitness
• Meal for 2 at Vermillion Restaurant
• Collection of books from Waterstones
• £30 Voucher for Saks Hairdressing
• £15 Pizza Hut Voucher
• 3 Energi Trampolining Passes
• Signed Copy of Simon Wood’s Cookery Book, Winner of MasterChef 2015
• Facial Treatment at Mehak’s Glamour Lounge
• Cut, Blow Dry and Treatment at Twisted Hairdressers
• “There She Glows” Facial Treatment
• Family Play Voucher for Head Over Heels Play Centre
• Nando’s Full Platter Meal Voucher
• “There She Glows” Beauty Hamper
• Free Makeover by YSR Make Up Artist
• £40 Meal Voucher for Chiquitos
• 2x 7 Day Passes for Marriot Hotel Fitness Club, Manchester Airport
• £15 voucher for Estique Beauty Salon, Wilmslow
• Photography Session at Capture Portraits Photography Session
• Platter of Cupcakes from Cupcakes by H
• Game Tickets for Salford Royal Rugby Club
• Full Makeover by Emma Khan Makeup
• Collection of Recommended Books from WHSmith
• 2 Cineworld Cinema tickets
• Round of Golf for 4 at Regent Park Golf Course, Bolton
• £25 voucher for Istanbul Grill, Cheadle
• 2 passes for Go Air Trampoline Park
• Pottery making voucher for Create It, Cheadle
• £40 to spend at Indish Restaurant, Oldham
• 4 Ball Voucher for Didsbury Golf Club (worth £120)
• Digital Radio with Goody Bag from Asian Sound Radio
• Full size Decleor products from Lusso Beauty, Wilmslow (worth £120)
• 4 games of Paradise Island Adventure Golf
• £30 voucher for The Red Lion, Cheadle
• Shellac Nails or a 30 minute massage by Relaxations Mobile Beauty
• 30 minute go karting session at any Team Sport track
• Lunch for two at Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Oldham
• Lunch for two at Gourmet Burger Kitchen. Didsbury
• £20 Range Card for Trafford Golf Centre
• £50 to spend at Food Sorcery Cookery and Barista School
• £40 meal voucher for Puccini, Whitefield
• 6 week Beginners Ice Skating Course at Silver Blades Ice Rink, Altrincham
• Red Sea Restaurant voucher
• Mini manicure and spa access at Malmaison Hotels
• Go Karting Session at Stockport Indoor Karting
• Cut and Blow Dry at Francesco Group, Bramhall
• Afternoon Tea for 2 at Neighbourhood, Spinningfields
• £20 meal voucher for The Coach and Four, Wilmslow
• £30 meal voucher for EastzEast, Manchester
• Chocolate Hamper from The Divine Events Company

Romania 2017

I am a mother of 2 energetic boys and I am a strong believer that you reap what you sow. I have given everything I have to raise them as fine young gentlemen. We have always had a roof over our heads and food on our table and for that I thank the Lord every day.

However, the reality is that living in England we are blessed with so many amenities that as citizens of the First World we take for granted.   Sadly, life is not like that for most of the population especially children. You do not have to travel very far to learn that parts of Europe have some of the poorest areas in the world.

I took part in a Charity Mission last year to visit Gdansk in Poland. It was by far one of the most rewarding and uplifting experiences of my life.

This year I have committed to going out to Lazareni in Romania with a group of 10 friends from the Kings Church in Bolton. We will be leaving on 4th July and staying there for 9 nights. I will be working in one of the most deprived and poverty stricken areas in Eastern Europe.  Lazareni has many social issues including child labour, drug taking and human trafficking. I know it will be a difficult trip. However, the group are committed to making this a life changing experience for both ourselves and those we reach out to. We plan on taking over food supplies, toys and clothing. The trip has already been funded by the team individually and so 100% of funds raised will reach the needy.

It is going to be hard to work with families living in poverty. Seeing children as young as my own having to walk miles just to collect water each day will be heart breaking. However, by doing this Charity Mission we know that we have taken active steps to make their life that little bit easier.  I do not know what to expect when I get out there but if I can even make one child smile then I know my job will be done. The reality of seeing the hearts healed from people of all ages living in such a poor community will be impacting, rewarding and cherished forever.  I want to be a part of life changing moments and uplift people from all walks of life in whatever I do.

At Nayyars we have been fundraising amongst ourselves for the last 4 weeks. The support of the Team has been amazing. We had a Team Meeting to discuss fund raising ideas and came up with a financial target we are aiming to reach. We have taken part in various fund raising activities including donating the fees from all oaths and attestations completed by the Solicitors to the Romania Fund. We also took part in Buffet Lunches with each Team Member bringing in food and the rest of us contributing a donation to eat it (yes food is always a big part of any event at Nayyars!).

We are now on a big initiative to raise funds by the sale of Nayyars Raffle Tickets. We have a 1000 tickets to sell and over 50 prizes have been donated by businesses and individuals. The draw will take place on 30th June and will be the finale to the fundraising by Nayyars towards my Romania trip. If you would like to buy a ticket (the odds of winning are pretty good plus you will be supporting a great cause) then contact me on 0161 491 8520. I would love for you to support me. I am so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life and I, too, am so glad to share my journey with you.

I will write another blog just before I leave but for now any donation would be greatly appreciated.

The Right Choice

April marked the month that many anxious parents heard whether their children had been given their first choice school. For the parents choosing independent schools for their children, the news is followed by formal paperwork and contracts that are often misinterpreted.

The wake of the 2007 economic crisis saw an unprecedented increase in claims brought by private schools against parents for unpaid fees, and a decade later this trend continues. Wellington College, in Berkshire, has recently hosted a seminar on “fee recovery” that will give tips to private school heads and bursars on excluding children for non-payment of fees and recovering debts through the courts. There are now even a number of solicitors firms specialising purely in school fee recovery.

In short, hard economic times have forced independent schools- like many other businesses- to tighten their belts.

Recently, I defended two conscientious parents against a claim brought by their child’s former school. My clients had been forced to take their child out of the school part way through the term due to bullying, and the School had brought a claim for unpaid fees as a result.

It is useful to note that Independent schools have a much higher level of discretion than state schools do in how to deal with pastoral issues and the concerns of parents. This is due in part to the contract in place between the parents and the school. In my clients’ case, the terms of the contract were enforceable and stated that they were liable to pay the fees for the full academic year should they remove their child from the school part way into the first term. Contractually, the Claimants had a strong case.

My clients had come to the right place, however. Nayyars Solicitors are not afraid of a fight. We robustly defended this claim on the basis that the School had failed in their duty of care to my clients’ daughter, and as such the contact had been voided.

Think of it like this: there is no way that my clients would have signed the contract with the School had it stated that they had no duty to protect their child. My clients had reasonably expected that the School would do all in their remit to safeguard their child against physical, emotional- and on some occasions racial- abuse. To any empathetic person, this sounds like a winning argument. Legally however, it is a complex one. The success of the School’s claim would hang on them arguing that this was a purely contractual matter, whereas our Defence would require us to prove breach of duty of care- a much larger common law issue.

As a firm we are not afraid to fight it all the way, and that is exactly what we did. We built a case that put enough pressure on the Claimant School that on the morning of the trial, they agreed to discontinue the whole of their claim against our clients. I stood next to them as the Judge dismissed the case and criticised the School for their conduct.

Unfortunately, not all Solicitors are seeing the same results. The Courts are increasingly ordering against the Defendant and there are publicised cases of parents being forced into bankruptcy. One private company that runs 66 independent schools across the world, including more than 30 in the UK, has reportedly declared 68 parents bankrupt since 2012*. The contracts that these parents signed allowed this company- Cognita- to claim in some instances more than double the original amount owed.

What’s worth taking from this, is the importance of reading and understanding any contracts provided by the School before signing them. It seems that although many parents are diligent in reading the small print when considering business or monetary contracts, they are simply not doing so when it comes to their child’s school.

Making the “right choice” now goes beyond the consideration of Oftsted reports and facilities, and these recent trends in litigation leave something for parents to consider.

*http://schoolsweek.co.uk/parents-bankrupt-after-chase-for-fees/

Have You Suffered an Injury at Work?

If the answer is yes then you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation.  This is an informative guide on what you need to do if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident whilst at work.

An injury at work can take place as a result of the following:-

• Slips and trips at work
• Injuries from work equipment
• Injuries from lifting heavy loads
• Defective machinery or equipment
• Unsuitable equipment (such as scaffolding and ladders)

You may be able to claim compensation for injury, if you can prove that your employer has been negligent by failing to:-

• provide unsafe equipment
• provide an unsafe place of work
• provide an unsafe system of work
• provide inadequate or no training
• provide inadequate or no supervision
• fail to carry out risk assessments

Your employer is also vicariously liable for the actions or failures of your co-workers which may have resulted in an accident because of their negligence.

If you have had an accident at work, you must report it to your employer as soon as possible and make sure they record it in the accident book. If they don’t do this, or if there isn’t an accident book, then make sure you write down the details of the accident and keep a copy for your records as this can help your case at a later date.

If you can’t report the accident because you are too ill, ask a colleague to do it for you.  You should also try and locate any witnesses to your accident and take photographs of where the accident took place or of any machinery or equipment which was defective as this will make it easier to build your claim.

There are other types of claims you can bring if your injury or illness has developed over time at work, such as a repetitive strain injury and upper limb disorders.

These types of injuries can affect the joints, muscles, nerves and tendons of the hands, arms and legs. They can be caused by:

• a physical overload from repeated use of the hands or limbs
• application of repeated pressure

You may be able to bring a claim if you can show:

• that there was a foreseeable risk of a clinical condition and your employer did not take adequate or reasonable steps to prevent the injury or illness from occurring over a period of time.

You can also bring a claim for work-related stress and whilst a personal injury claim for psychiatric injury can be quite difficult to prove, you may still have a claim.  In any event you should speak to your employer if you are experiencing any type of stress at work.

You must seek medical attention if you have suffered an injury and ensure that you provide accurate details of how you were injured as this will be recorded in your medical records and if you decide to bring a claim your employer’s representatives will be entitled to have access to your medical records so it is essential that all contemporaneous evidence is accurate and consistent with the accident circumstances.

If you think that conditions at your workplace are unsafe, talk to your trade union or contact the Health and Safety Executive. If you think you are in serious and immediate danger at work, you have the right to protect yourself.

We understand that it can become difficult for someone making a claim against their employer and to continue working for them and we can provide you with further advice on this issue if it is causing you problems at work or the injury or illness caused by your employer’s negligence  has led to you being dismissed at  work.

I represented a client who successfully recovered a claim for damages arising from an accident at work when he fell from a stool whilst stacking shelves.  The case was in dispute from the outset and settled only days before trial.  This is just an example of the wide ranging type of accidents at work we deal with at Nayyars Solicitors.

We specialise in claims involving accidents at work and you can get in touch with Nayyars Solicitors today and speak to a member of our team to see if you have a case.

Holiday Accident or Illness?

You are ready to relax and enjoy a stress-free break from everyday life.

You have counted down the hours, packed your luggage, travelled to the airport, boarded your aeroplane to an exotic foreign country and finally arrived at your destination.
—

Within days your dream holiday has become your worst nightmare. Your holiday has been ruined by an accident due to lack of regular maintenance or illness due to poor hygiene, as a result of the hotel you are staying at.

If you suffered food poisoning for example salmonella, resulting in symptoms including stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea or if you have suffered a personal injury as a result of an accident due to negligence. You may be able to claim compensation.

You probably thought this was the end for your disastrous holiday, however, every cloud has a silver lining, as your tour operator is responsible for ensuring that the services provided within your package holiday are carried out with reasonable skill and care.

The Package Travel Regulations 1992 extended the tour operator’s liability to include responsibility for the hotel’s performance, which includes food preparation and property maintenance. However, in order to claim compensation your holiday must be considered as a “package holiday” therefore you must have pre-arranged a combination of at least two of the following transport, accommodation and other tourist service when purchasing a holiday at an inclusive price and when the it covers a period of more than 24 hours or overnight accommodation. Therefore, if you pre-booked your accommodation, resort transfer and flight through a tour operator which is controlled by the Package Tour Regulations 1992 and the Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers’ Licencing) Regulations 1995 you will have overcome the first hurdle.

The next hurdle can be the difficult on, which we can help you overcome. It has to be the tour operators suppliers fault for you to be able to claim from them. We can assist you in the following types of scenarios by obtaining supporting expert evidence:

• Undercooked or reheated report which is a breeding ground for bacteria;
• Food contaminated by insects, birds or other animals;
• Infected hotel staff handling food;
• Non-filtered water being used to make ice, and for washing salads etc;
• Contaminated swimming pools, containing parasites that are resistant to chlorine;
• Failure to maintain hotel grounds and furniture.

We have a Holiday Claims team at Nayyars Solicitors, who specialise in assisting with holiday illnesses or injury that are the result of a holiday illness or injury resulting from an accident on a package holiday that was no fault of their own. We can advise you whether you can make a claim based on the circumstances of your holiday. These cases are handled on a No Win No Fee Basis. We have secured compensation for clients who have been happy with the outcome of their claim.

Life as a Paralegal

Summer ’16 – having just graduated from University with a Law degree, I was now on the hunt for a successful career path. Turns out, later that year, I was lucky enough to have been accepted after my first legal interview at Nayyars Solicitors! Understandably for every new employee, it was quite a nerve racking first week for me as I wanted to prove I was good enough for the job. Gladly though, the “new starter” feeling wore off after my first week! Everybody was so welcoming I already felt part of the team so quickly.

I started my position with the team at Nayyars as a New Claims Assistant. My job role varied as I would carry out a number of different tasks during the day. From setting up claims for new clients, to dealing with incoming and outgoing post. What I learnt the most from being a member of the New Claims team was how to be time conscious as well as being able to have good attention to detail.

Having been in the New Claims team for approximately 4 months, I was very enthusiastic to want to learn more and was keen to take on a new challenge. I wanted to broaden my knowledge and apply my skills set to a more challenging work load. This is when I moved over to the Pre-Litigation department.

The transition from New Claims to Pre-Litigation was quite surprising. As a paralegal, your strengths are tested more often than not in your ability to be quick minded, enthusiastic and eagerness to your work ethic. The outcome is always a rewarding one, to be able to hear clients that are happy with the level of client care service that has been provided to them as well as them receiving the compensation they are entitled to.

I was given the opportunity to handle a case load independently. This was without a doubt the most testing experience so far. Thankfully, it has helped me to grow as a person and has also shown me that with the right determination and persistence, anything is achievable.

There will be times where you will have to experience impatient clients who do not quite understand what a lengthy process it can be for them to receive the correct amount of compensation they deserve. However, in my position as a paralegal, I believe it is vital to create a good rapport with my clients, who are able to understand why it can be a lengthy process and to trust me in being on their side.

So far, life as a paralegal has been challenging, interesting and exhausting at times. But the main thing I can say is the satisfaction of ticking things off a lengthy “to do task list” and keeping my desk tidy with minimal files visible is indescribable. Here’s to a successful future at Nayyars!

Breaking News!!! Changes in Speeding Laws

New changes came into force in relation to speeding on Monday 24^th April. As personal injury lawyers who have handled cases for clients who have been seriously injured and even died due to speeding drivers we welcomed these changes. There has been

Over 100,000 speeding fines are issued each year, which result in the HM Treasury recovering millions of pounds in revenue. No-one likes a speeding fine but the reality is speeding kills.

The change means that speeding motorists will now face much harsher fines. Judges will be able to hand out longer sentences with a view to acting as a deterrent and also punishing those who offend. This followed a consultation in 2016 that discussed how the harm caused by speeding and risk to the public should be taken into account. As a lawyer who has represented the families of loved ones killed in an accident this has been a long time coming.

With the new guidelines, drivers will face points or disqualification depending on the offence. Fines will now be determined in categories – a Band A fine is 50 per cent of someone’s weekly income, Band B is 100 per cent and Band C is 150 per cent. The changes do not affect those who are just a couple of miles an hour over the limit, for them nothing will change but the big difference is how they will affect those who are driving well in excess of the speed limit.

So for example anyone caught driving at more than 101mph in a 70mph zone could be disqualified for up to 56 days and fined up to 175 per cent of their weekly income.

The new table that has been introduced is as follows:

If you have kept a clean license then you may still be able to circumvent the points hit by attending a speed awareness course. Previous speeders will not be extended such opportunities seeing their points total climb further.

These changes follow the general approach that has been taken by the Government who have also cracked down on mobile phone users who had much harsher penalties introduced on 1^st March.

Safe driving saves lives. It is simple as that. The worst offenders who recklessly drive putting the lives of the public at risk will now receive harsher sentences. Hopefully these new laws will act as a deterrent and reduce the number of people seriously injured by speeding drivers.