I am having one of those days...

...a comedy of errors?

Only it is not comedic for me.

The water board were meant to sort out my sewers and do the works because it is a shared sewer.

This started well over a couple of months ago in February when the drains were flushed with water.

Water board were supposed to be sorting my drains. I gave them permission initially to do the works in my absence.

It didn't happen. The rest of the road's shared drains got done one by one, and I went out to check mine would proceed. Yes I was told.

The next thing I knew was I returned home one day to a note through the door saying they couldn't access the drains for the works. But they could access both. And to text this number. And the workmen had packed up their digger and tools and had all gone.

I texted the number but no reply. Texted a second time and a third time, but no reply.

So, this morning I went on Twitter to try and sort it.

Got a response. It appeared to be going swimmingly, having photographed the Waterboard work card that was posted through my door and sent it by DM to the lady dealing with this, so that all works numbers and details were correct.

So, I am DM'ing this person and she says they will be in contact with me in a few days, by text or email, and arrange a date and will do the works for free because it is a shared sewer.

Then I get up immediately to go and make a cuppa. And through the letterbox came just at that moment another works card saying I had to telephone (voice call) this number in order to arrange the works because they cannot access it. But the sewer drains are accessible and one can be seen from the road, the other at the other side of the gate.

Talk about quick...

I am profoundly deaf and ever since the beginning of all this the waterboard have known of my deafness, they know I am disabled, and I am on some vulnerability list. And they have my phone number and email to contact me.

So I unlocked the door as quick as I could, got to the water board van and knocked at his window.

I said the bell never rang (I'd had it next to my phone while I was DM'ing the waterboard lady on Twitter). Oh we didn't ring it they said. They weren't going to do it today anyway. That would be a different crew. I was annoyed, but didn't say anything, because the works card implies they came to do the works but couldn't because of accessibility problems.

I gave permissions initially to the water crew in February that flushed the drains, and they relayed all this and details to head office, and told me the works would proceed even though I wasn't there. I thought that was sorted.

It appears they need to dig out the bits of the drains underneath the manhole covers, because that is where the blockages are occurring, especially where next door's drain comes into mine, which is literally outside my kitchen door which is 2 or 3 metres beyond the gate.

But this crew this morning said we cannot do the second manhole cover and bits underneath, because that is your responsibility. No we are just doing the one in the first part of the driveway. That is the only one that is our responsibility...

I explained that the initial water crew who flushed the drains, said the second one outside my kitchen door was the water board's responsibility, and that it was their responsibility to deal/repair all sewers on my property.

This crew insisted the first guy was wrong. I insisted they come through the gate and look. Big men they were, and I was trying to get these two reluctant men to come through the gate, so I turned my back on them and walked ahead.

They still insisted that the second manhole cover and the bits underneath were my responsibility.

So I told them to lift it and tell me whether that was a shared sewer drain or not.

Ah, they said. It is a shared sewer drain and it is our responsibility to repair that. Has anyone taken photos he said? Yes I said. Oh I don't need to take any then he said.

That your camera I said? Yes he says. Then you can take some photos of this shared sewer drain I replied.

Okay then he said, it would probably save time later because we would only have to come out again and take photos of it for the office.

Then I made sure they had text number and email address to contact me.

There's only one thing he said, we won't be the crew that comes out to do your drains, it will be another crew and they may not realise you are deaf. I explained I had given prior permission, and I was giving them prior permission to do the works in my absence.

They sat in their van maybe a half hour while the were reporting back to the office (?).

Then just as they drove off a text came through from the water board. It was a different woman and she said there was problems with the job number.

So, I texted a photo of the job sheet, (I am not copying numbers out), so job numbers, names and dates were on that.

Got a reply back. Someone had given her the wrong job number...

I had visions at this point of the water board crew digging up a stranger's driveway on my say so as I had given prior permission.....



I think Popeye is as fed up as I am...


Just had a thought. I may be wrong, but directly outside my kitchen door is a set of permanent shallow steps, because of my arthritis, I cannot get up ordinary steps. The manhole cover where the shared sewer with next door joining is immediately the other side of these steps.

Now I did notice the previous workmen had a digger, and they dug up other neighbour's driveways and drains with the digger. There would be a problem with the upper part of my driveway from gate to drain because there isn't enough space for that digger to get up there and the steps are in the way.

My thought is they thought they would scarper because my works needed were a bit more troublesome to them, and not so cost effective....

I was knackered after all that. Too tired to cook lunch...ate cold peas out of the tin and cold meat...