Expert Locksmith Advice

Locksmith on Summer Holiday

Hi there. Usually at this time of year I would do a blog about precautions to take to secure your property when going away for a summer holiday.  What with one thing and another, though, this year is kind of different, and a lot of people will be having a staycation in the true meaning of the word, so whilst I can still advise you to look back on those blogs, I thought it might be rubbing salt into the wound a bit to assume we’re all going away for a nice holiday this year. 

Local Barnsley Locksmith

In a break between football games this week I was having a watch of an old episode of The League of Gentlemen. Set in the fictional village of Royston Vasey (which happens to be the real name of Roy “Chubby” Brown, trivia fans), this magnificently dark comic series originally ran for 3 series around the turn of the millennium, but has stayed popular ever since, inspiring a feature film, stage show and recently some new episodes for its 20th anniversary. Amongst the bizarre characters, a couple of the most popular were Edward and Tubbs, the married couple (and also brother and sister) who owned the local shop within Royston Vasey; their catchphrases of “Are you local?” and  “this is a local shop for local people…there’s nothing for you here” became the most well-known by fans and non-fans alike. 

Key Safe Fitting In Barnsley

Key safes have been increasing in popularity recently. When they first came on the market their main use was by social care workers, community nurses and carers who would visit properties where the occupant was perhaps disabled or infirm and couldn’t get to the door. This system allowed the care-giver to retrieve the key and enter the house without needing to be let in by the householder. It also eliminated the need for the client/patient to get another set of keys cut or for the carer to need to carry around dozens of keys for all the houses they visited. Instead, all they needed was a 4 or 6 digit code to be able to get the key, get into the house, and then leave the key in the key safe when they left, ready for the next visit. 

Be Wary Of Rogue Barnsley Locksmiths

There’s been a lot of talk about trust amongst those at the top recently. You probably couldn’t avoid all the talk of the European Super League a couple of weeks ago, and now the front pages of the newspapers are full of tales of political machinations, dodgy denials, and £58,000 refurbishments of flats in Downing Street. Whatever the truth, it’s brought the subject of honesty to the forefront. In a way, that’s the subject I’ll be looking at that today, but more related to the world of locksmiths. You could say my profession is indebted to dishonesty, given it’s due to burglars that we even have to exist in the first place, but that’s where any deceitfulness should end. Unfortunately that’s not always the case and today I’ll look at how that lack of trust can occasionally overflow into the profession itself. 

When people find themselves in need of a locksmith, it’s often quite an urgent situation – in the aftermath of a break-in, or being locked out of their house. If they don’t already know of a locksmith, the most likely way they’ll find one is by turning into an internet search engine. Usually it’s the one rhyming with Boogle, I think you know the one. And it’s entirely understandable – whatever your thoughts of the company, it’s changed forever how we find information. So, you do a search for your home town and locksmiths and what comes up? Well, usually the top results have the letters Ad next to them, showing they’re sponsored or paid-for results. After this come the most popular results – the order is generally dictated by Google’s secret algorithms to bring you the most pertinent results. 

Barnsley Home Security After Lockdown Ends

Well, say it quietly but it looks as if we might be getting there. The latest relaxation of the lockdown measures has taken place, and we can all now meet outside to play golf, as long as we’re having a picnic and there are no more than six of us, because that’s how many Viennese Whirls are in a box. I think that’s it anyway, I was distracted by the ship stuck in the Suez canal to be honest. 

The easing, and then hopefully ending, of lockdown is obviously a great step forward, and one we’ve been looking forward to for what seems like decades now. However, as with all these things, there is a caveat. I’m not about to go all Chris Whitty or Jonathan Van Tam about social distancing, as that’s not really my specialty. Rather, the warning is about the impact on the security of your home. 

Patio Door Repairs In Barnsley

People very rarely ask me “Hey, what’s a thing a locksmith spends most of their time doing?” Which is a shame, as if they did that, it would have provided a very good segue into today’s blog. Instead, I find myself floundering, trying to think of something to say to sum up the last 12 months of lockdowns and social distancing, perhaps also striking an optimistic tone about the vaccination rollout and the very real likelihood of more normality returning in the months to come, all the time trying to come up with a seamless segue. It’s all very 2021, I tell you. 

So, that question that people rarely ask me….well, I’m glad you asked. A disappointingly small amount of time is spent carrying around huge chains of keys, helping MI5 break into secret lairs, thus foiling plots by megalomaniacs to take over the world. At the most, that happens once a week. 

Be aware of the latest Burglary tricks

Whilst we’re all still in lockdown we still need to be on guard when it comes to home security. It is estimated there are still over 1,000 burglaries happening each day in the UK despite most of us finding ourselves at home both during the day and in the evenings. This is forcing burglars to have to come up with new, creative ways to beak in to our homes.

Burglars are having to be mindful of people at home, in this blog we discuss some of the latest burglary tricks. Being aware of these tricks will help you better prepare, allowing you to fully safeguard your home for both you and your family.

A Short History Of Locks

“Hello there, and welcome back to the home-schooling history class. I’ll be your guest teacher today, leading the lesson for a one-off look at the history of locks and locksmithing. Think of me as a slightly low energy Joe Wicks, but without the PE kit and less risk of injury. Before we start, just to say I know how supply teachers are often treated, and let me tell you, there will be none of that on my watch, but thank you to whoever left me this lovely chocolate cake here which is… oh, that doesn’t taste like chocolate. (Was that you, Kerry? How are your dogs getting on?) Anyway, on with the lecture. 

New Year Security Resolutions

Happy New… well I’m a bit tentative about wishing everyone a Happy New Year because I did that last year in 2020 and look how that turned out. But on the basis that lightning can’t strike twice, even though we know it can, I will still send out my best to all my customers for 2021 – fingers crossed that the vaccine brings brighter times ahead. 

A new year is often a time to take stock, (by which I don’t mean stealing gravy), and focus on actions we can take for the year ahead. This is no different when it comes to home security, and in that vein, I have put together a few reminders of what we should be reassessing, and changes we can implement in the year to come. Think of them as New Year security resolutions. 

A Barnsley Locksmith Carol

2020 has been quite the year, hasn’t it? One probably best forgotten by many, but certainly one we’ll be pleased to have gotten through. And with Christmas on the horizon, as well as the excellent news about the new Covid vaccines, it does look as if there may well be hope on the horizon into the new year. 

I’d like to thank all my customers for their loyalty throughout this year, and am glad I’ve been able to provide a continuous service all through the year when I know others have not been so lucky. In a break from the locksmith advice you normally find here, and seeing as it’s Christmas after all and you probably need something to laugh at, here is my slightly re-arranged version of the 12 Days of Christmas – this one’s for all the Barnsley  locksmiths and their customers out there: