Month: March 2023

As British people start to travel again following the COVID pandemic and the end of strike action at UK airports, an increasing number of enquiries we receive here at Bartletts come from guests injured at hotels and, in particular, bed bug bites during stays. Bed bug infestations at hotels have long been a global problem, and one which if anything appears to be getting worse rather than better over time, as bed bugs develop resistance to commonly used pesticides. Bed bugs also become more active during the summer months when warmer weather speeds up their breeding cycle, which is exactly the time when hotels are at their busiest.

Apart from being bitten sometimes hundreds of times during a hotel stay, guests also risk transporting bed bugs home with them in their luggage or clothing, likely causing a domestic infestation that will require the services of pest control experts. Bed bug bites may therefore affect a person’s physical and mental wellbeing (particularly children), as well as cause significant financial loss, all of which will be considered for the purposes of settling a compensation claim. In our experience, hotels will often acknowledge the fact that a room was infested with bed bugs and offer a refund on a guest’s stay, which is usually viewed as an unacceptable response in the circumstances.   

Hotels have a legal duty under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 to take all reasonable care to deal with potential risks to the safety of guests such as bed bug infestations. Hotel staff need to be trained to spot the telltale signs of the presence of bed bugs in rooms and obliged to carry out routine checks, yet the high turnover of staff and other pressures at hotels mean that such training is often not provided. When staff have not been trained to look out for recognised signs of bed bugs, a compensation claim for bed bug bites against a hotel is likely to succeed. Claims for bed bug bites against foreign hotels are also possible under the Package Travel Regulations 1992 if a holiday and hotel stay was booked with a UK package holiday or tour operator.

You can find out more about this bed bug bite claims on our dedicated pages:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/bed-bug-claims/compensation-for-bed-bug-bites.html

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/bed-bug-claims/suing-a-hotel-for-bed-bug-bites.html

Liverpool Cathedral’s Grand Organ Appeal aims to raise the £900,000 needed to restore and preserve what is not only the largest organ in the UK, but also one of the greatest musical instruments in the world. Built in 1926, the Grand Organ of Liverpool Cathedral was the largest instrument ever designed at the time, and continuous daily use in worship since then has resulted in the imperative need for major restoration work.

Apart from one-off donations, Liverpool Cathedral has devised a range of activities to get involved with in support of the appeal. One of the most appealing options for those with a passion for organ music is the unique Organ Experience, costing £500, which offers the rare chance to play one of the world’s finest church organs and to learn about the instrument from one of the Cathedral’s resident organists. Another excellent and unusual choice for the organ enthusiast is the chance to adopt one of the organ’s 10,268 magnificent pipes for as little as £2.

Donations to the appeal can be made on Liverpool Cathedral’s website, online or by mobile phone with JustGiving, via a cash back donation using the Easy Fundraising online shopping service, or by buying merchandise including organ music from the Cathedral Shop. Supporters are also welcome to organise their own event to raise money for the appeal such as recitals, plays, coffee mornings, cheese and wine evenings, quiz nights, raffles – the possibilities are endless.

Liverpool Cathedral has so far raised almost two-thirds (£600,000) required to restore the Grand Organ, and participation in any of these various fundraising activities will help reach the target and preserve this special musical instrument for future generations:

https://www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk/support-our-work/make-a-donation/organ-appeal/

 Bartletts Solicitors are proud to be long-term supporters of Liverpool Cathedral, with Thomas Bartlett, a direct ancestor of the firm’s owners, leaving a bequest for the construction of the array of 13 bells for the new cathedral which was then being built in 1912.

Microblading uses a sharp tool and micropigmentation uses tiny needles to implant ink (pigment) under the skin on the eyebrows or scalp, creating the appearance of fuller hair and added shape. The most frequent complaint following these procedures is when they fail to achieve the desired results and a person is left feeling partially deformed and unnatural. In the most serious cases, a botched treatment may cause disfigurement which may persist for an extended period of time. This is usually the result of inexperienced and poorly trained practitioners failing to take the proper precautions or making errors during treatments.

Good hygiene standards at beauty salons are essential in preventing the risk of infection from unsterilized needles, contaminated ink or generally unsanitary conditions. Allergic reactions to the pigments used in the treatment are also possible, and this is why skin patch tests are routinely carried out to prevent adverse reactions. The human body may also react negatively to the ink as a foreign body, and this can result in unsightly nodules (granulomas) or keloids (raised) scars forming on the skin.

Apart from patch testing, a detailed pre-treatment consultation to identify contraindications which make microblading or micropigmentation unsuitable for an individual (e.g. pregnancy, recent Botox use and various inflammatory skin conditions) is another critical factor in making sure some customers are not exposed to an unacceptable risk of injury. At Bartletts, we have an all-female team of solicitors specialising in claims for beauty treatments gone wrong, including microblading and micropigmentation:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/hair-beauty/compensation-for-a-microblading-injury.html