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Old 01-08-2010, 09:09 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening
aquachimp aquachimp is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Feb 2007
Posts: 258
Default question about insurance

On Jul 31, 3:40*pm, Jake wrote:
On Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:19:46 +0100, "shazzbat"



wrote:

"Jake" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:10:08 +0100, Janet Tweedy
wrote:


Someone I know has a part time gardener who 'says' he can pruned her
wisteria and rambling roses.


As it's high up, she asked if he was insured, which he said he was.
However in the event of an accident (he'll be using her ladder and
tools) would he be able to claim on her insurance or indeed how do you
make sure he is insured (just in case)


Janet


As for his insurance, if he's a "professional" type he should have
public liability insurance as well as personal insurance (public
liability covering an accident which results in damage to the customer
or the customer's property). Ask to see his certificate. Simples.


But complication - if he is using the customer's ladder, the customer
could be liable if he falls off it. If he's a proper gardening
contractor type he should have his own ladders and should use them.


So ask to see his insurance certificate and tell him to use his own
ladder.


Another thing. If he's going to take away and dispose of the prunings,
ask to see his waste carrier registration certificate. If he doesn't
have one and *fly-tips the prunings, then the customer, not he, will
be prosecuted if the source is discovered by the authorities.


Wrong.


Both "could" be prosecuted in accordance with the control of pollution act
19??, but in practice, the householder could easily claim ignorance[1], or
that he/she was told by the gardener that he was licenced etc. In the hugely
unlikely event of him being caught in the act of fly tipping the unlicensed
carrier could be fined{2}and have his vehicle confiscated.


Steve
(former registered waste carrier.)


[1] Yes, I know ignorance is no defence in law, but in the real world can
you see the waste regulation authority taking an elderly lady to court
because someone tipped her cuttings? Me neither.
( Don't tell me it's happened unless you provide a link).


[2] The fine was £2000 last I heard, almost certainly much more now.


Granted Steve, you are right but the dumper is very rarely caught and
here in South Wales (where the authorities routinely "enforce" and
"ignorance" is absolubtely no defence) they look for the extra rubbish
that the "innocent" person has asked the dumper to get rid of at the
same time. I can remember one case of a council chap finding a carrier
bag in the middle of some prunings and almost gleefully producing an
addressed envelope.


Dream on!
Have you never cleared up after a hedge trim? If you had done any
decent amount of it, you'll remember that along with the trimmings
there will be bits of paper, flyers, parking tickets, newspapers,
sweet wrappings, shopping lists, letters, receipts and yes, even stray
stamped addressed envelops, therefore, "producing an addressed
envelops" provides no actual evidence and so producing it "gleefully"
is the act of a bit of an ignoramus.

I don't know the details but he told me later that
the culprit had admitted having their hedge lopped by someone and had
forked out over £1,000 as a result.


See there the point is "had admitted" ...