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Toxic Sofa Sufferers Win Compensation
A court has sanctioned £1,800 payouts to 408 claimants in a multimillion-pound compensation battle over sofas made containing toxic materials. The claimants, which included 55 children, had all suffered skin complaints caused by the sensitising agent dimethyl fumarate (DMF) in the leather sofas. The furniture was made by Chinese companies Linkwise and Eurosofa.
In April a number of High Street chains agreed to pay £20m in total to those who had received chemical burns. This initial agreement meant that 1650 people would receive between £1,175 and £9,000 each, depending on the severity of their symptoms.
On Wednesday, Mr Justice MacDuff said the latest resolution of the litigation for the last tranche of 408 claimants was a “very sensible and proper settlement” of their claims. The sofa makers had used DMF as an anti-mould agent to protect the leather, but the chemical is toxic in tiny amounts and can cause blistering and bleeding of the skin. The EU has banned the use of DMF after customers in at least five European countries suffered burns and breathing problems.UK manufacturers of sofas face much stricter rules on manufacturing.
Snow Causes Accident Rise
People in the UK are making twice as many car accident insurance claims during the current cold weather, according to one insurance firm. AA Insurance believes 70% of all cases that reach it in search of financial aid after a crash or accident at this time are related to the snow and ice that has settled across the country.
The firm also notes those that venture out on to the slippery highways that have become common in Britain are putting themselves and others at risk. Despite the 100% hike in car accident insurance claims compared with a average December, there is one bright spot for insurers.
“Thankfully, the number of personal injury cases is about 10% lower than on normal December days despite the high volume of claims, thanks to the low speed nature of most accidents.”
The Hull and East Riding Daily Mail recently noted East Riding Council is using the track record of personal injury claims to determine where to focus its resources when it comes to making road and pavement improvements in the area. So there you go, although the snow means there are more accidents, there are actually less injuries due to the extra cause for caution.
Savings Accounts to Suffer this Christmas
A influential staff member of Santander bank has suggested savings accounts in the UK are set to be raided over the Christmas holidays. Reza Attar-Zadeh, director of savings and investments at the firm, called on consumers to avoid spending too much during the festive season.
He explained that individuals who manage to leave themselves in a reasonable financial position for the new year will be able to start saving again in 2011 without too many problems.
“While many people have decided to rein in their spending this year, Christmas still looks set to make a significant dent in the nation’s savings.”
Santander claimed that people will withdraw an average of £212 from their savings accounts to pay for Christmas, although 62 per cent of consumers are cutting back on the amount they spend this year.
Last week, the company’s head of current accounts Gillian Almond urged consumers to consider switching to the financial services provider due to the preferential rates its clients receive on several products.
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