The greatest thing about the internet is also the biggest problem in a broader sense.. . it's given every one access to information.. . but it's also given everyone a voice to say whatever they feel like, and to claim authority and righteousness regardless of fact/truth/accuracy. It enables people to seek out truth, or simply seek out those who share the same misguided/bigoted/prejudiced views that they hold. It allows people to share knowledge and truth or sow misinformation and lies. It allows people to learn, understand and educate themselves or remain wilfully ignorant of the real facts/issues/reality. I can't help with your current situation, except to wish you well in getting a resolution that is acceptable and truthful. .. I'm currently starting the whole journey with my PIP application after suffering for almost 20yrs with my health issues... I was transferred from IB to ESA about 4yrs ago and thankfully went through the assessment process without the need to appeal it.. However I did suffer from the incompetence of ATOS in actually getting the assessment done in the first place.. 3 times they failed to notify me, 3 times my IB & LHA was suspended and 3 times it was reinstated.. the DWP were fully aware of the issues with people not getting the notifications (I think I got help on here back then about it) and had instructed ATOS to contact me by phone to ensure I was aware of the assessment... they never did. ATOS denied being at fault, but countless threads on here (at the time) about people never getting letters about them say otherwise.

If you wish to avoid the trolling, go into your userCP and click on 'edit ignore list' on the left column. .. add user name and save. .. If that works the same as it does on other forums.. . you won't even see any replies from that user any more.

Bringing an old thread back to life... I kept putting it off month after month... But I finally called and started the process this month. In the interim I had been advised about a local service that helps with these things, so I had an appointment with them and they filled out the form, asking me specifics about each question and making sure my answers were clear and concise on the form. They then gave me a photocopy of the form and sent it off for me. Since I started this thread back in May, I've actually had another diagnosis in August that's new.. in addition to the spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis and severe depression/anxiety/panic attacks.. I now have an unstable kneecap which dislocates and goes out of alignment. Currently awaiting physiotherapy for that as it's possible it could be muscular rather than skeletal. The knock on effect is that it's made things worse, and prompted me to finally put in a claim... I've also applied for a blue badge today (as I thought you could only do so if you were on disability benefits) as I'm virtually housebound without a car, and if I can't park close enough to where I'm going... I'll turn around and leave and try elsewhere. I'm still half expecting them to refuse the application without even seeing me, but if they do I fully expect them to refuse the application after the so called 'assessment'... But I will be making sure everything is recorded so they can't claim they did things they haven't... After reading some of the threads on here, I'm horrified at they way they treat people.

You have the right to have it recorded in full, but take a second device with you to record it as well... You can refuse any assessment if they refuse to record it and if you turn up and they say the equipment is broken, you do not have to stay and they have to reschedule it.

GF reminded me that we were out with friends on that Saturday, I have 3 witnesses to my activities that prove I wasn't driving... that left 1 other person with access to the spare key... GF's son ... the no good, sneaky little git 'borrowed' the car whilst we were out with friends... without asking and whilst he is insured.. he's not allowed to use it without permission. Denied it at first... then refused to let me look at his location history on his phone. Couldn't get his story straight about what he'd done that day... Eventually admitted it when I told him I'd have to refer the matter back to the police to investigate as me and the GF now had alibi's for that time/day and they could get his location data from his provider even if he wiped it. Long story... he's almost 23 and already has 9 points and can no longer afford his own car/insurance as he's gone back to Uni... and is now removed from ours. Chances are he'll lose his license for however long it is. He's gotta take the consequences of his actions. I'd have revoked his driving of my car anyway, just for taking it without permission and lying about it... Turns out the reason there isn't any dashcam footage is because he deleted it to try and cover his tracks. Told him if he ever took my car again... I'd report it stolen... and he'd be kicked out of my house... Time to get tough with him, he's gotten away with far too much for far too long. He'll have to find work during his breaks and pay rent from now on whilst living here (weekend visits during terms are ok... he only comes back to get his mum to do his washing for him anyway, and eat everything in sight.). Rough week... my neighbour passed away the other day and this ungrateful little git trying it on has pushed all the wrong buttons. I wanted to kick him out there and then... But got talked down for now... But last chance has been used up.. there will be no more. Speaking with friends, all 35 and over, and all have been driving for at least 15yrs or more... and not one of them knew that if there are street lights it was 30mph unless signs stated otherwise. So I guess I wasn't the only one.

I passed my test around 27yrs ago... I can't be expected to remember things like that.

As others have pointed out, if you look at streetview maps, there are signs posted. I was only looking at the section where the alleged offence happened... and I'm not (or wasn't) aware of the legal requirements for such signs. I certainly didn't know that roads with lighting were 30mph unless indicated otherwise (although still not sure if it's a guideline or a legal one)... it seems MK goes against this and as I grew up and learned to drive there. I kinda expect that to be the same elsewhere.

No, I'm saying there are 'NO' speed limit signs posted almost anywhere on the entire grid system.. unless it's at a section where it intersects with a pre-existing part of the city from before it was built... Such as the old A5 (now the V5 I think) around Stony Stratford which is sign posted as 40mph. .. I can't say for absolute certain that 'none' of the grid roads don't have any signs at all.. . but I grew up there and drove around it every day for 15yrs, and still drive there a couple of days a week now... but it's expanding rapidly at the moment with some new sections being built that I've never driven at all.. but they're linked of the old A5 road (Watling Street) which is 60mph and always has been. I did just find a repeater sign for the national speed limit on a section of the old A5 near to the spot there is a massive amount of housing being built. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.0343494,-0.8046819,3a,18y,281.41h,89.96t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sMKGtWNPTaFA3wG3XMmZFbA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 Which road?

The roads in MK have always been that way, there are no signs at all to show lower speed limits... I think it's perhaps because the whole city was designed around vehicle travel, it's laid out like grid system... with single/dual carriageways separate from any built up areas.. aside from where those roads intersect with an existing part of the city.. . that was there before the city was even built. Each individual estate is accessed via this grid system and then becomes a 30 limit. I can only think of one little section that has changed from a 60 to a 50/40 and that's due to it being a very old single carriageway route between two of the old towns right on the edge of the city where they have now built yet another estate.

So what are the rules on signage? Because if you come out of Thrapston and turn left onto the A605... you would never see that 40mph speed limit sign... and you'd have to look pretty hard to spot the tiny repeater ones, especially on what appears to be a very busy road as it's the main route between the A14 and Peterborough/A1. I've also seen the photo's of where the van was parked... and they've parked half on the grass verge obscuring a signpost.

Street lighting isn't an indicator of any speed limits, I used to live in Milton Keynes, that's pretty much 60mph speed limits on the entire grid system, not all of which are dual carriageway and they're all street lighting.

The offence was doing 55 in a 40 zone... does anyone know what the fine/points are for that? That's a good idea, I'll check, can't do everyone's as the GF isn't back until the weekend now and the lad is at uni now... not sure when he'll be coming to visit next.

Do I send back the NIP and tick the section that says I am unable to provide details of the driver at that time?.. and include a letter to explain why, asking for further information.. or just send a letter asking for information? Nothing in the diary.. in fact I had a clear week and my last appt was the 22nd August and then nothing until the 31st... As far as I can recall I didn't do anything that entire week except some stuff around the house/garden & going shopping locally in my town. My car was off the road for a few weeks before hand after a minor accident, and although it was repairable the insurance decided to write it off... So I had to buy it back and get a new MoT on it before I could legally drive it again... there's still some damage to the drivers door that is waiting repair (got a new door here).. The images I've seen of the car online show a 3/4 view that includes the drivers side... so once again, a better quality image may show damage to the drivers door which would confirm it's my car... but if the damage is missing... it proves absolutely that it's not. It's the A605 at Thrapston in East Northants, there are street lights but the time of the offence was 11:19am... and If I'm being honest... I'm rarely up before noon these days and rarely in bed much before 3-4am.. According to them the van was parked at the marked location and the car was travelling North.

Just because I don't remember driving this bit of road... doesn't mean with absolute certainty that I or anyone else didn't. .. and if I did then I will take responsibility for it. I'm not admitting to doing something I haven't. hence the evidence is vital to finding out.. and the evidence is inadequate to determine fault at this point. I can't even remember what I did on that day. I tend to look at things from multiple angles, so inadequate signage is just one of the things any person being thorough would do. If it was my car, then I have to make sure I know who was driving it so I can notify them.

There isn't a full sized sign then... as you exit the roundabout onto this A road, there is a small 'repeater' sign and about a mile or so further down the road there is another one before the next roundabout... Is this enough to make it invalid? In fact upon checking this section... in both directions there are no full sized speed limit signs at all between the 2 roundabouts.

I received an NIP last week for an alleged offence committed on the 26th August. After reviewing the online evidence it's only showing the rear of the car and not the driver... We cannot say with absolute certainty who was driving at the time of the alleged offence, in fact I cannot recall anyone even driving that section of road in the last few years. It's 10-12 miles in the opposite direction to any journeys normally made... I had a look at my dashcam footage to see if it still had anything from that date, but sadly it's all now overwritten with the earliest recordings from the 28th. I had a look at the road and on street maps and I think that the sign posting for that section of road is inadequate... there is a miniature 40mph sign on the corner as you exit the roundabout and then I cannot see another one until well past the point of the alleged offence just before the next roundabout. This section of road isn't through a built up area and is an A road that is 60mph before that roundabout. It feels like they'd reduced the speed of that section purely to catch out motorists who cannot see the tiny little speed limit signs that are around a quarter of the size of regular ones and in the case of some of them, set far further back from the road than normal signs are. The quality of the online images is particularly poor and doesn't have enough visible detail to even tell 100% if it's my car. It does appear to be the right make/model/colour and you can just about make out the reg number, but not the other details of the number plate (such as country code and so forth which is in blue, nor the writing underneath from the dealer) and I also have a sticker on the back window underneath the rear wiper that I cannot see on the image.. because of the poor quality. To sum up: 1: Cannot be certain that I or anyone else drove the car on that road 2: Cannot be certain that it's even my actual car in the image because of the lack of detail in the images 3: Concerned that my car could have been cloned (or at least the reg number) Can I reply without admitting fault and ask for images in a much higher detail than those on the website, because you cannot download them to try and enlarge to see details they are displayed in such a tiny resolution on the website that it's impossible to even tell if there's a blue part on the number plate to the left. I have zero points on my license and haven't had any in 20yrs, I have no problem taking responsibility for any offence I 'have' committed, but I'm not taking it for something I didn't... and at this moment I cannot say with any accuracy if anyone drove my car on that road at that date/time nor can I state with an accuracy that the car is in fact mine to begin with.

OK, applied... also need to enquire about the cavity wall insulation as I have none at all and it gets really cold in the winter.

I switched to eon a few months ago from EDF and have been getting this for the last 3yrs... where do I apply?

I haven't read through all of the pages of posts, so appolgies if this has already been mentioned... When you attend any assessment you do have the right to request that the appointment be recorded. This is exactly what I did and the 1st appt was cancelled because the equipment wasn't working on the day, you can refuse the appointment if it's not being recorded. At the end you will basically be given a CD containing a full recording of the assessment and have a complete and accurate account of it. I also went online and purchased a little recording device that I used as well, and I set my phone to record and placed it on the desk in front of me (screen off)... The phone recording wasn't great, but the one I got from the 2nd device was, as was the recording they gave me. Granted this was about 4yrs ago... But if it's recorded they simply cannot try to claim that you were told something or said something that never happened. So any attempt by them to make out you didn't inform them of something to justify refusing a claim is hard if not impossible to prove. If you appeal, send a copy of the assessment recording in with your appeal. In my opinion, just asking for the assessment to be recorded is sending a clear message that you are aware of your rights and will have an accurate recoding of the assessment... I think it makes them think twice about simply refusing your claim as seems to be the norm... and hoping that you accept it rather than appeal it.

I don't really like giving out personal info on a public forum... I did do a bit of searching and found a charity that does welfare rights and has an advice shop on my local high street. Going to call them and see about making an appointment in the morning. I'm also going to see if I can get the forms sent out to me online rather than calling.

I was of the understanding that because I got ESA with the sickness component, I wasn't able to apply for carers allowance... Otherwise I would have applied years ago, it would have made such a difference to my folks as I was spending 2 or 3 days a week at my folks when my dad was alive. I'd take them on days out, even on holidays for a week. My mum isn't ill as such just suffering from age related conditions, in fact since the stress of caring for my dad 24/7 for years (she used to get the CA until she retired) has been lifted she's feeling healthier than before... I mainly go to keep her company and to help with errands, shopping and so forth and days out... Taking her on a day out this Friday as I have a hospital appt in Birmingham and it's a 150m round trip, so I'm picking her up on the way, doing the appt in the morning and then were going somewhere for the day... weather depending either indoors or out... Black country museum or Warwick Castle, Art Museum or Botanical Gardens... something like that. I'll give the council a call tomorrow and ask about welfare rights groups in my area... see if I'm getting what I should be. I've never bothered checking as I expected to be told no for everything... But I've had two conditions diagnosed since then that could make a difference.

@honeybee - No support worker, not aware of any welfare rights service in this area... Will look into it further. @shoelover - What little of my family is left, none live close to me. My nearest family member (Mum) being 71 and 25-30 miles away and unable to drive... In fact I'm their support and help them do their errands, as I was practically a carer for my father who passed away last summer. I've put my own health issues aside for so long now because others were far worse of than me, and I kinda loathe depending on benefits.. But if not for the support in the past I'd still be stuck in a small one bed flat with neighbours that were making my life hell... At least I have a house, spare rooms and all for the one bedroom LHA rate for my area. that's kinda the limit of support I can get, my sister isn't much help with anything and she moved 75 miles away a long time ago and only comes to see my mum every few weeks for a few hrs. She's got far better things to do with her time it seems... What free time I do have I spend helping out my mum, even if it's just keeping her company or taking her out and about... I'll drop her off, go and get a coffee and pick her up a little later. I lost my brother, dad and 90% of my aunts and uncles in recent years, not to mention cousins, friends and family friends I've known my whole life... I try to help out with the Parkinsons support group that helped my dad once a month too... It often feels like I'm the one who needs support but am still giving it to others whenever I can. I try to downplay my health issues as much as possible, but my knees are a constant pain and crack/pop & send sharper pain spikes out every time I try to straighten them.. Pain is a 3-4 constantly... 7-8 spike when I move them. I need to be a little more selfish and focus on getting myself sorted first. Once I'm not so worried about myself and paying the bills, I can focus on others again. I already apply for the warm home discount each year and have had that for the last 3yrs running... which really helps with my winter heating bills. But the cold & damp play havoc so I'm really looking forward to this week as it's supposed to be warm and sunny all week... which increases my movement and lowers my pain a little. TBH, it's just nice venting all of this a little anonymously.. I don't discuss it with family much because I try to avoid them worrying as they already have enough on their plates. My mums had this same kind of arthritis for a long time and I never realised how much she was playing it down and powers through it.. . I'm trying to follow her example as much as I can.

Yeah that's very true... But I find filling in those types of forms to be quite daunting and intimidating... I'm constantly afraid that I'll say something slightly different to virtually the exact same questions that are repeated over and over, worded it in a different way or in a way they can interpret differently to contradict what I've said previously... I want to apply... I really 'need' help to fill in the forms... I have no idea of any services locally that could assist. CAB closed their offices in my town years ago the nearest one is about 8 miles away and only open a few hrs a week, parking is too far away for me to walk from the car to their offices (not to mention uphill).. . and getting an appointment is almost impossible anyway. If I can get some help to complete the forms, I WILL apply.. and I'll probably be back a few weeks later for advice in how to appeal the inevitable rejection.

I've been on benefits due to health issues for quite a long time now, I was on Incap Ben until Oct 2013 when they moved me to ESA and that's been static since then. Not had any kind of increase in 4yrs. In 2014 I finally had a diagnosis of one of my health issues that had been ignored for years by doctors... Dismissing my issue as weight related when it was in fact a condition called Spinal Stenosis... which is 'made' worse by being overweight. This explained the shocking spasms in my lower back which could turn my legs to jelly and make me slump to the floor at any time and I couldn't walk more than 20-30yrds without getting one. Since then I have lost over 140lbs the condition has remained and not gone away as previous doctors claimed. I have also been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my knees which is further impacting my. the small increase in the distance I could walk has been decreased again by limited movement and pain in my knees. I've also got early stages of the condition in both shoulders and struggle to lift my left arm above my shoulder but can rotate it, whilst my right shoulder doesn't rotate properly but my arm can be lifted above it. Back in either 2014 or 1015 I got the forms for PIP but never sent them in... to say it was a confusing mess of questions that repeat themselves over and over again and with reports that the vast majority of claims are simply dismissed anyway put me off ever sending it in. I'm not getting any better and losing over 10st hasn't had the kind of impact that I had hoped it would... I admit that my weight was out of control due to severe depression and 19 deaths of family and friends between 2008-2016... In short I was broken and whilst I'm still broken, my financial situation continues to deteriorate. I can just about cover the rent due to the fact I rent from family (all legal, proper tenancy agreement in place and council know everything) at a rate well below average (they're doing it to give me a safe place to live not to make a profit). I can just about cover utilities and household expenses, but there's not enough for anything else and although I do have a car it's 12yrs old and I limit how much it's used due to the cost of diesel, insurance and car tax. Without transport I would be housebound and unable to get out and about on my own... I can't even make it to the local corner shop which is about a 300-400yrd walk. On a very, very, very good day... I might make it to the corner shop, but would then struggle to get back carrying anything I bought. By the time I got back (after stopping repeatedly to sit and let the pain subside) it could virtually incapacitate me for hours and I'd be unable to go out again for a few days at least. When I am able to go out to do shopping (once every 2 weeks on average) I have to normally go with some one and require a trolley to hang onto to support myself. Even then after doing a small amount of shopping, we stop at the supermarket cafe for a rest and a drink before carrying on. I tend to load my shopping in small amounts into multiple sturdy bags with handles, so I'm not carrying heavy ones into the house. I can park on my drive so the boot of the car is no more than 6-8ft from the front door and it's an estate so a low tailgate means no bending to lift things up. I know I could do my shopping online but I actually look forward to doing mine as it gets me out of the house for an hour or two. The arthritis needs me to keep moving more not less, but I can't do that where I live due to the area, hills and so forth... it would be nice if I could drive down to the lakes nearby a couple of times a week and do a little walking there, as they have benches and rest points all around them... But parking isn't cheap. After reading so many threads on here about people applying for PIP and being refused... it's making me wonder if I should at all... I'm not asking for expecting a disabled badge or motability car... I desperately need a little extra help so I can perhaps pay for a little more fuel each month, or parking charges... an extra £20 a week would have a huge impact provided it wasn't taken away from my other benefits like ESA/LHA. If I get the forms... where can I get help to fill them in... a lot of it seems designed to confuse and deliberately make it as hard as possible to complete. I think doing it my own will only result in me not bothering like I did last time... which is what I now think is the main objective of the form.

By my understanding, they only had the right to use that information whilst they have my consent... that consent has now clearly been withdrawn... So any use of my personal information after the date of notification would technically be a breach of data protection. I'm not a legal expert obviously... but surely It's not really that different from withdrawing implied right of access to a company (such as Capita TV license harassment) should you wish to stop uninvited and unwanted trespass on your property... and I apologise profusely for calling you Shirley. How effective or binding it is.. I honestly have no real idea... just how I could prove that they sold on my details after the date of the letter is one thing, getting a body like the ICO to take up such a case is another... But precedent for this kind of thing needs to be set if it doesn't already exist. People need to be able to take control of their personal information... Anyway... we've gone way of topic Shirley Letter was posted... we'll see what response it gets to the original issue.