The motor insurance firm is urging tradespeople to stop posting images of work vans and tools and to be careful what ‘location’ information they share publicly on social media.

Over 80% of UK builders have been a victim of tool theft, with the average builder losing £10,000 worth of tools over a 40-year career.

Ian Wilson, managing director with Compare NI said tradespeople “must be extremely cautious of what they post online because opportunistic thieves are always on the lookout.”

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Research has highlighted that while many heat pump installers may have the right qualifications, practical skills and design expertise is often lacking.

In a survey by Heatly more than half of respondents reported issues with over sizing, which can lead to inefficiencies and higher installation costs. 

Furthermore, 35% of installers said that heat loss calculations failed to match up to real world performance. A fifth of installers reported this happened ‘often’.

Paul Spence, technical manager with Heatly said the report highlighted “areas where installers require further support, particularly at the design and specification stage.”

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19-year-old David Bateman-Smith from Northern Ireland has been crowned the Skill Plumb 2024 UK champion.

Bateman-Smith fought off fierce competition to win, while there was a three-way tie for second place.

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