The Sunday Times - UK (2022-05-29)

22 May 29, 2022The Sunday Times

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likely to have a duty of care

to them since their presence

on the footpath is

reasonably foreseeable.

Because the residents have

“authorised access”, I

conclude that you don’t own

the road. The liability for

accidents can rest with the

road owner if they have not

taken reasonable steps to

ensure the safety to footpath

users. Check the exact terms

of the title documents to your

property to ensure that there

is no clause that deals with

liability for the footpath.

In the event that you are

liable because you own the

road or because of the terms

on which you are permitted

to use it, there may be

insurance options (private

road insurance) that could

mitigate your liability.

Even though they are

trespassing, it will be difficult

to prevent cyclists using the

road, so take practical steps to

deter them and mitigate the

risk of an accident by, for

example, installing further

warning signs or mirrors

opposite your driveway to

help you to see a cyclist. Doing

so demonstrates that you are

taking reasonable care for that

eventuality. The road owner

could also be asked to make

improvements that could slow

down or deter cyclists: speed

bumps or a gate at the end of

the road. It might be costly,

disruptive and difficult to

locate the owner, but the

disruption needs to be

balanced against the issues.

Rupert Ticehurst, partner,

Maurice Turnor Gardner

Send questions to

homehelp@sunday-

times.co.uk. Advice given

without responsibility

HOW CAN WE

STOP CYCLISTS

USING OUR

FOOTPATH?

Q

We live in a

no-throughway

private lane

that is also a public footpath

that leads to a supermarket.

There are 40 vehicles

belonging to residents, who

have authorised access, and

the footpath is busy with

pedestrians. We put up

“private lane, no cycling”

signs, but cyclists ignore

these and come down the

lane at speed. When alerted

to the signs, cyclists are

rude and abusive. The lane

is narrow and residents

must back out their vehicles

with extreme care. I have

almost been knocked over

by a cyclist. I am concerned

that there will be a collision

between a cyclist and a

resident. How can we stop

them? What are the

liabilities should a cyclist/

pedestrian be injured or a

car damaged?

Pat Gleeson, Devon

A

You are correct in raising

your concern because

cyclists should not be using

the path. While pedestrians do

have a right to access the road

because of the footpath,

cyclists do not because they

are only permitted to use

public bridleways and byways.

Technically, they are

trespassing and causing a

nuisance and, theoretically,

you could bring claims

against them. However, that

does not affect the question

of your liability.

Were any residents to

reverse into the road and hit

a cyclist, you might still be

liable for a personal injury

claim by the cyclist. You are

HOME

HELP

READERS’ CLINIC

HOW DO YOU MAKE A SPRAY BOTTLE

ACTUALLY SPRAY?

Many don’t work.

Brian Keehne,

Bromley

If you can,

remove the

spray nozzle

with the tube

attached and

run it under hot

water for a few

minutes, then see if you

can pump and spray any

water still left in the tube.

Reattach and spray again.

This often works.

Alternatively, remove only

the spray nozzle, run it under

hot water, insert a needle

into the hole on nozzle to

release any blockage. I

always save old perfume

bottle spray nozzles to use

when a problem occurs.

Vanda Reynolds

I vaguely remember a tip to

clean nozzles with

vinegar. Google

says: mix equal

amounts white

vinegar and

water, soak

nozzle

overnight,

after cleaning

nozzle opening

(use a pin?).

Basbleu

FUTURE QUESTION

How can we stop our rugs

from slipping on carpets?

We have to adjust many

times a day. We’ve tried two

different non-slip underlays

for carpets. We hesitate to

try a third kind unless

acclaimed by Home readers.

Send tips and questions to

homehelp@sunday-

times.co.uk. Advice given

without responsibility.

TIME AND SPACE THE WAY WE LIVE NOW

SIÂN PHILLIPS

The Welsh actress on flat-sharing

and being an endless London nomad

JONATHAN BRADY/PA/PXL STORE/ALAMY; HELEN LOIK-TOMSON/GETTY IMAGES

from Wales [Phillips grew up

near Swansea]. When I

brought them in, however,

the flat looked at them and

said no — so they went as well.

It is very streamlined and

modern. There’s practically

nothing in it, apart from a gallery

wall of pictures. I’ve fallen in love with

Vitsoe shelving. I took my inspiration

from the previous occupant because I

liked everything he had done.

Have you moved home often?

Since living alone [after divorcing her

third husband] I’ve moved around

London every few years. Guyon

House in Hampstead, where I lived

with my second husband, the actor

Peter O’Toole, was home for 20 years,

but then I set about moving. I’ve never

moved because I’ve lost interest in a

place. I’ve moved because I’ve wanted

to try somewhere new and life has

changed a little each time.

I went to live briefly in W1, then

Mayfair, Islington, Barnsbury,

Kensington and Islington again (at

the Angel). Then Spitalfields and

now I’m in the City itself. I might

stick this one out until the end. I’m 89

and in another seven years I will be

quite venerable.

Do you get lonely?

I love being on my own. I like seeing

friends but I don’t enjoy too much

socialising. I was mortally ill three

times as a child, so very much on my

own, and it was what I understood. I

married my first husband when I was

19, but I’ve never lived with anybody

for long. O’Toole was often away

filming; the other two marriages

didn’t work out at all. I spent as little

time with those husbands as possible.

Have you ever had a flat-share?

Yes, by chance. I had a lovely flat in

Kensington with a guest bedroom and

bathroom. I was going to America for

work and looking for a cat-sitter. A

National Theatre friend volunteered

his Israeli boyfriend, Fabi Waisbort,

now a well-known osteopath, who

needed somewhere quiet to study.

On my return I had to go on tour

again and asked Fabi if he would

mind staying on. We looked at each

other with bemusement one day and

realised we’d lived together for 17

years. He and his husband (he split

up from the theatre director) are now

like family and I officiated at their

wedding. They did my shopping

throughout the lockdowns and

checked in on me every day. It’s

the best thing that has ever

happened to me.

Interview by Angela Wintle

Private Faces and Public Places by Siân

Phillips is published by Sceptre at £12.99

I

moved to the Barbican in the

City of London just before the

first lockdown. I have a second-

floor flat in one of the houses

on the estate. I watched it

being built in the 1960s from my

Georgian home in Hampstead, north

London. I remember thinking, “How

can anyone build those towers?” They

ruined my view of St Paul’s Cathedral.

Then, about five years ago, I spent

a week working in the Barbican

Library and found the complex

homely, quiet and easy to get around.

It has three big restaurants, three

cinemas, an art gallery, a theatre and

a concert hall. It has everything you’d

want in a town. I’ve even fallen in love

with the brutalist architecture.

Did you hesitate before moving?

I went to view the flat at 10.30 one

morning, with no intention of buying,

and had bought it and sold my

existing home all before lunch. When

I feel something is right, I just do it.

Have you embraced the

mid-century look?

I’ve been buying and selling furniture

all my life, but I had the good sense to

get rid of nearly everything I’d

accumulated over 40 years. The only

things I kept were a precious antique

French chest and a grandfather clock

Top inset: the actress with her

second husband, Peter O’Toole,

and their daughter, Kate, in 1964.

Above: her flat in the Barbican