“On estime”
Yes the city was packed full of French nationals and South Ken was 99% French, but no longer.
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Heavens! In my day it was all Australians and New Zealanders.
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They all moved to Earl’s Court.
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To be honest, I think it’s more. I reckon it’s closer to 500 k.
The amount of people (mostly medical professionals…but not always) tell you their son, daughter, cousin, brother, sister who whoever lives and works in the UK. And they always want to talk about it. There is a bloke down at Lidl who’s daughter lives in London. My wife’s gynecologist worked in a hospital in London.
We take our yearly holiday in UK/Scotland and having lived in a French environment for so long we can spot French people in a pub, train, or wherever in non tourism places. Every holiday we will meet or spot French people. It’s mad.
Lastly as a family, we always without exception get quized by border farce at Portsmouth or Stansted about how long we are staying, where r u going. On one occasion I got quized on the destination I was going because he new the place. We hold queues up.
Eurostar would not be viable without the French. In fact it is mostly a French train.
Anyway, more French in the UK than British in France. And we got a bad deal.
That was precisely my point. The reason they are ineligible is because not having worked in France they have not contributed. Which is basically what France means by “integration” - it’s not about chatting nicely to your neighbours, it’s about solidarity and having contributed to the social system that is the backbone of France.
A UK S1 means the UK covers the cost of the medical treatment and procedures for people who live in another country and qualify usually either because they work in the UK, or because they are in receipt of a UK pension and no longer work, or because they’re the dependent (ie they no longer work) of someone who does qualify for an S1 through one of the above two common routes or one of the limited number of other less common routes. The refunds do not contribute to the infrastructure - the building and equipping and maintaining of hospitals etc. That’s funded from contributions paid by workers. Who in general are proud to contribute because they can then claim their rights with a clear conscience. How many times do you hear them say, if anyone ever so much hints that they’re scounging, “Mais j’ai cotisé, moi.”
I am sorry but I see a problem when a person comes to France and decides continues to earn a healthy income, but who also feels entitled to the benefits allowed specifically to people who have stopped earning an income. I see it as a choice between earning an income, paying cotisations as a worker and potentially qualifying for citizenship as a person who has worked in France, and who can say “j’ai cotisé moi”, and coming as a retiree, not working and not contributing and potentially being ineligible for citizenship.
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Since no-one knows for sure, and neither do we, this is a pointless debate. Let’s stop,
More interesting than the rights and wrongs of having an air vent near a wood burner stove.
Not for some of us who have a wood burner stove and a ramonage at the end of the month.
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Not having an air vent can kill you. Knowing how many Frenchmen live in Derbyshire won’t. 
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I don’t find unsubstantiated feelings about population density even remotely interesting.
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You have to have an air vent. It’s a legal requirement in France. Any artisan who installs a wood burner, foyer fermé etc needs to put in an exterior air vent. That’s it. You also need to get your chimney swept twice a year.
We have an exterior air vent near our chimney and ours is swept twice a year.
That is the rules. Which relates to this thread.
Follow the rules, you can do what you like in France. Work in retirement for example
Producing goods in France and selling outside of France without taxation….not allowed.
I don’t no why people just don’t follow the rules. The rules are for the benefit of everyone. Taxation goes to the country you live in….and rules regarding stoves/fireplaces ensure that you don’t kill yourself or burn down your neighbours house.
Don’t like rules, don’t move to France.
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That really made me laugh! The French are the worst rule breakers. Not all of them, but those they feel are ok to do so, or can get away with it. Or those in some secret book of non-rules. Another anecdote, but a French friend of ours is absolutely the worst rule breaking driver. However, he will always stop completely at a stop sign and tells us off for just slowing until we can see that the road is clear. He can’t explain why.
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I think the French are the biggest rule breakers in the UK too. Hence my point about being quized at border control. They keep quizzing us for a reason. French family, British bloke in a French car. Lol
There is some scam going on.
Mad innit.
OK - BUT
A retiree pays taxes in France which go to fund that infrastructure going forward (maybe not so much in social charges but I bet the government treats it as all one big pot in reality) - AND the money that retirees bring is genuine new money from outside the French economy, not stuff which has been recycled.
So I don’t really buy the argument.
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I do this, simply because it’s such an easy ticket and I think it’s quite an expensive one.
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Only seen evidence of once on the statute book.
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Regarding sweeping chimneys… Nationally it’s once or twice depending on the situation
and each Prefecture can/will issue Instructions to be followed
and each Mairie can/will issue instructions.. blah blah..
each depending on their situation.
Best bet is to ask at one’s own Mairie ! 
Tell ‘em what heating/fire you’ve got, how often it’s used… and they’ll give you the info you need to keep legal.
Anything untoward/different.. do check with your Insurance company to ensure they are happy too.
I would ask (or everyone else reading this) your insurance company.
They are the ones you are going to be arguing the toss with if everything goes South.
I have been told once and been told twice.
I run ours a lot….like nearly every day for 6 months. I can actually tell when ours needs to be cleaned.
What are the symptoms you look for?
Ah well clearly you are a chimney whisperer. 
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