Expert Locksmith Advice

Xmas Tips From A Barnsley Locksmith

As a Christmas “treat”, and with huge apologies to Clement Clarke Moore whose poem I may have shamelessly stolen and amended to reflect a more security conscious age... 

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the properly secured house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse, as they’d been prevented entry by recently-fitted anti snap locks.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, but far enough from the fire to ensure no fire hazard presented itself.
In hopes that no-one soon would be there, for the locks, alarms and security lights should act as a real deterrent. 

Info On Cylinder Security

So I guess we’d better acknowledge the elephant in the room. Not literally, as that would be weird, and in my experience, large pachyderms will eventually leave out of embarrassment if you ignore them for long enough. Rather, a figurative elephant. Not Brexit on this occasion as we’ve had quite enough of that, but instead the impending approach of Christmas. We’ve already got the adverts appearing, the lights on display and soon it’ll be time to frantically search the shops for the perfect gift for Aunt Clara, before deciding on a perfumed bath set that will never get used. 

Things to be aware of in Winter

Halloween will soon be upon us. I know this because going into Home Bargains the other day I was confronted with an aisle wholly devoted to Christmas. The Halloween section had been there since July, of course, and no doubt the Easter aisle will be in place before the end of November. 

With Halloween, comes all things spooky and a slew of horror films being released. I was pondering on these the other day and wondering how different some of the classic horror movies would have been had the participants paid more attention to home security. I know, I lead quite the life, don’t I? 

Why you should use a local Barnsley locksmith

You may have seen that the League of Gentlemen are back and currently undertaking a national tour of their show. Which hopefully means that a new generation of fans will soon be repeating phrases such as “You’re my wife now, Dave”, “pens are our friends” and, most famously, the sinister “This is a local shop for local people…we’ll have no trouble here,” as uttered by Tubbs and Edwards in their unique village store.

However, ‘local’ doesn’t have to mean weird and scary, replete with “no-tails” and sacrificing any passing workmen. Which is a good job, because when I refer to myself as a local locksmith I’d rather people didn’t get the image of Tubbs breastfeeding a piglet in their heads. Which, now I’ve mentioned it, they probably will. Damn. Stop imagining that. 

Gardens, sheds and garage security advice

I may have trouble getting through the blog this month, as it seems I’ve begun to melt. The last week or so has taken its toll, and my body now mainly consists of a puddle on the floor. What I’m trying to say here, to slight dramatic effect, is that crikey it’s HOT. We seem to have gone from snow to insane heat in a matter of weeks, completely bypassing Spring. I guess there’s not much point complaining about the heat though, as no doubt we’ll soon be back to the Winter, probably missing out Autumn along the way. But anyway, what am I doing banging on about the weather for? Well, mainly to get through the first paragraph, but also to introduce the topic of today’s blog in the second paragraph. 

How to not be locked out

Crikey, it’s been warm recently, almost as if summer’s on the way. Perfect weather for being outside enjoying the lovely sunshine. Or for being inside, hiding from the sun, bemoaning the hot weather.  I cater for all tastes here, you see, whatever your weather opinion – it helps to not antagonise half your customer base. That’s why you won’t see me state an opinion on Brexit, Marmite, or which is better out of dogs and cats, though obviously we all know the answer to the latter. 

But anyway, being outside, hey. It’s all well and good as long as at some stage you can get back inside. Which is a major problem if you’ve locked yourself out of your house. Okay, it’s not quite as annoying at this time of year as in the freezing winter, but it’s still pretty inconvenient, especially if you’ve left the iron on or the potatoes boiling over on the stove.

How does a thief think?

Everything’s gone a bit argumentative recently, hasn’t it? What with referendums, elections, and news stories that split the nation down the middle, the country seems more divided than it’s been for quite some time. So, in the spirit of bringing people together, today I thought I’d hand over the blog to a most unexpected chap – a man who, to all intents and purposes, is the very opposite of me. I try to secure buildings whilst he tries to break into them. Normally I’d give him a wide birth, but in an attempt to build bridges and, forgive me if I go a little Gandhi here, secure a lasting peace between our two communities, I hand you over now to my new mate, Shifty Robbins.  Take it away, Shifty... it’s what you usually do to people’s property after all. 

Security advice before going on holiday

Have we all finished digging ourselves out of the snow by now? That was all quite exciting, wasn’t it, but it seems we’re done now and the snow shovels can be put away into storage for another year. Now, the temperatures are rising and before you know it we’ll be facing Easter and Spring. Then it’ll be Summer, and if history has taught us anything, we’ll then be in Autumn and then back into Winter which is where we began. I may be getting a bit ahead of myself here, let’s rewind back to the Easter holiday season and thoughts of getting away for a few days. 

If you’re lucky enough to be going away for a week or so over Easter, this raises an issue that we’ve encountered before on these pages – the fact that you’ll be leaving your property empty. An unoccupied property is at far greater risk of burglary than when it is occupied. You being in your house is one of the best deterrents money can buy. Not that money can buy you of course… I expect. And I’m not judging you if it can, everyone makes their own life choices and that. Anyway, moving on from that awkwardness, I’ll go through a few tips that will help you make your home secure whilst you’re away.

Tips to consider when moving house

Greetings from the blog that you are currently reading right now. This month I thought I’d return to a subject I’ve touched on before, but which I’ve been asked about again recently – the security steps you should take when you move into a new home. Moving house is a big step and you don’t want the new adventure to be immediately ruined by worries over the security of your new place. 

It’s a stressful time what with arranging the logistics of moving trucks, sorting out utilities, dealing with solicitors and agents, co-ordinating dates, exchanging keys etc, so I’m sorry to add to this list, but without further ado, here are my tips on things to consider when moving house.

Different lock types for homes

Well hello there and a very Happy New Year to you. I don’t want to get all Mystic Meg on you but I’m sure that 2018 will be the year that a lot of things happen and some things don’t happen, whilst other things might happen. And remember, you heard it here first. 

Everyone’s heads can be in a bit of a muddle at this time of year what with the over-indulgence throughout Christmas, the not knowing which year to put on your cheques (if indeed anyone even writes cheques any more), and the knowledge that Donald Trump is inexplicably coming up to the first anniversary of his presidency. 

I thought I’d do my bit for the de-cluttering of your head by penning a quick reminder of the various types of locks you can get for your front door. I know, right -  it’s the New Year’s gift you never knew you wanted, but whereas the intricacies of gym memberships or the bank holiday affected bin calendar may be befuddling you, at least you’ll never be caught out by not knowing the difference between a nightlatch or a deadlock.