Thames Water - destroying our new pavements

sydres · Post by **sydres** » 6 Mar 2016 08:35

Good progress - I believe another temporary fix has appeared outside Cherry and Ice......

mosy · Post by **mosy** » 7 Mar 2016 14:01

The temporary fix outside Cherry & Ice is dreadful so take care not to trip.

They normally set asphalt slightly proud but this is well below the paving stones (up to 2"). Maybe it's waiting for a temporary finishing coat?

biscuitman1978 · Post by **biscuitman1978** » 9 Mar 2016 08:21

sydres wrote:I believe another temporary fix has appeared outside Cherry and Ice......

mosy wrote:The temporary fix outside Cherry & Ice is dreadful so take care not to trip.

It would be great if both of you could flag your concerns with Thames Water - email customer.feedback@thameswater.co.uk

We really need to keep tabs on Thames Water, otherwise they'll happily leave Sydenham looking like a patchwork quilt - and a dangerous one too.

mosy · Post by **mosy** » 9 Mar 2016 12:38

I'll be happy to report the inadequate temporary asphalt fix outside Cherry & Ice to Thames Water if someone can confirm that it is indeed one of theirs. Did anyone see that it was a Thames Water repair?

alburt.c · Post by **alburt.c** » 10 Mar 2016 01:35

mosy wrote:I'll be happy to report the inadequate temporary asphalt fix outside Cherry & Ice to Thames Water if someone can confirm that it is indeed one of theirs. Did anyone see that it was a Thames Water repair?

Lewisham council will know this. must have permit for works.

biscuitman1978 · Post by **biscuitman1978** » 3 Apr 2016 20:39

Michelle Flood of Thames Water emailed me yesterday to update me on when the temporary repair outside Kente Cafe (pictured below) will be made good. She advised: 'Once again our team have informed me they’re in talks with the Highway Authorities to discuss the completion.'

I have responded by telling her that I will take up the matter with the Consumer Council for Water if a satisfactory repair is not made within six months of the temporary repair, i.e by the end of April.

See https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/709749#update_800645 for a full summary

I also asked Thames Water in mid-March 2016 to advise me when they will make good the temporary repair outside Calabash of Culture/Cherry & Ice (pictured below). I've received no response, so have chased them.

See https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/789702#update_874968 for a full summary.

KPR · Post by **KPR** » 4 Apr 2016 21:10

There's another shocker outside LIDL where UK Power recently ran a cable across the road - they've left the pavement in bits. Not quite as bad as Thames's ludicrous effort outside Cherry and Ice but still a joke - is it really that difficult to put a few paving stones back where they were before you started?

biscuitman1978 · Post by **biscuitman1978** » 5 Apr 2016 05:59

KPR wrote:There's another shocker outside LIDL where UK Power recently ran a cable across the road - they've left the pavement in bits. Not quite as bad as Thames's ludicrous effort outside Cherry and Ice but still a joke - is it really that difficult to put a few paving stones back where they were before you started?

Thanks, KPR. Could you please report this on fixmystreet.com and to UK Power?

Ronski · Post by **Ronski** » 5 Apr 2016 07:47

Just to say thanks to all those reporting these problems, it's appreciated, companies shouldn't get away with such shoddy work after the big investment in the paving.

biscuitman1978 · Post by **biscuitman1978** » 5 Apr 2016 16:18

I've just had a call from a Thames Water.representative.

She advised me that Thames Water is unable to complete the repair to the lay-by outside Kente cafe because Lewisham Council is refusing to issue a permit. I will take this up with officers at Lewisham Council and local councillors.

She was unaware of the temporary repair outside Cherry & Ice/Calabash of Culture, despite my two emails to Thames Water, but she has promised to look into it.

KPR · Post by **KPR** » 5 Apr 2016 20:44

Have reported the LIDL issue - someone has put some barriers round it, so hopefully UK Power are already on the case.

biscuitman1978 · Post by **biscuitman1978** » 17 Apr 2016 22:02

biscuitman1978 wrote:I've just had a call from a Thames Water.representative.

She advised me that Thames Water is unable to complete the repair to the lay-by outside Kente cafe because Lewisham Council is refusing to issue a permit. I will take this up with officers at Lewisham Council and local councillors.

Lewisham Council has advised me that Thames Water has not applied for a permit since the beginning of February 2016. They also tell me that this is 'unfortunately not the first time that TW have made such a statement entirely erroneously'.

Notwithstanding, I see that a repair has now been made. It is, however, of very poor quality, as you can see from the photo below. Rather than use full size bricks, small off-cuts have been used and infilled with cement. That is not, in my view, acceptable.

I have advised Thames Water that I expect them to (a) confirm by 5pm on Friday 22 April 2016 that they will be returning to make a proper repair, and (b) provide a timetable for making that repair.

I have also advised them that if I do not receive that confirmation and timetable by the deadline stated above I will make a formal complaint to the Consumer Council for Water.

You can read the full saga at https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/709749#update_887368

southernmoose · Post by **southernmoose** » 18 Apr 2016 16:37

Good work biscuitman1978,

Does anyone know who was responsible for digging up and then bitumining the section of pavement near Fresh and Fruity on the opposite side of Sydenham Road from Kente too? Would like to follow up on that one too, but no idea who caused the damage in the first place...

KPR · Post by **KPR** » 18 Apr 2016 20:57

The Fresh and Fruity one is I think the Cherry and Ice one referred to above? Couldn't see anything outside Fresh and Fruity anyway.

Re: bad repairs, the Thames effort outside the Hardware store isn't great either, at least not compared to the original paving. Riney did a pretty good job first time round - have seen a project of theirs near Aldgate recently where the same paving aces appear to be at work. It's also noticeable down near the car wash where UK Power recently did work that the paving hasn't been put back quite right.

biscuitman1978 · Post by **biscuitman1978** » 18 Apr 2016 22:57

southernmoose wrote:Does anyone know who was responsible for digging up and then bitumining the section of pavement near Fresh and Fruity on the opposite side of Sydenham Road from Kente too? Would like to follow up on that one too, but no idea who caused the damage in the first place...

KPR wrote:The Fresh and Fruity one is I think the Cherry and Ice one referred to above? Couldn't see anything outside Fresh and Fruity anyway.

I guess that's the one. I have flagged it with Thames Water. They've pointed out that they have six months to make a proper repair. See https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/789702 for updates.

(southernmoose - please do email Thames Water to complain - customer.feedback@thameswater.co.uk)

KPR wrote:Re: bad repairs, the Thames effort outside the Hardware store isn't great either, at least not compared to the original paving. Riney did a pretty good job first time round - have seen a project of theirs near Aldgate recently where the same paving aces appear to be at work.

Yep, it's not great. See https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/698465 for a photo (scroll down).

The Clown · Post by **The Clown** » 23 Apr 2016 07:31

Have emailed them and copied all links and asked the to do better.
Links if anyone wants to do the same
Well done Sydenhamites - loving your work!

https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/789702

https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/698465

https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/709749#update_887368

https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/789702#update_874968

https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/709749#update_800645

https://www.fixmystreet.com/report/698465#update_800644

biscuitman1978 · Post by **biscuitman1978** » 27 Apr 2016 23:10

Thames Water phoned me on 27/04/16 to tell me that my complaint about the poor repair to the lay-by outside Kente (see below) has been 'escalated'. They have promised an update as soon as possible.

I will give them a few days before I make a formal complaint to the Consumer Council for Water.

mosy · Post by **mosy** » 28 Apr 2016 10:58

I noticed that a better temporary repair had been done to the area outside Cherry & Ice a day or two ago, i.e. they've put a further layer of asphalt over the old one. Hopefully it'll last in safety terms until a proper repair is done.

KPR · Post by **KPR** » 28 Apr 2016 19:59

I have a suspicion though that the new temporary repair was the work of the Council - they have been spreading asphalt liberally over all the potholes in the pavements around Sydenham, so they might have hit this one as they were passing.

mosy · Post by **mosy** » 28 Apr 2016 21:19

I wouldn't be surprised KPR as if the "trip depth" was greater than permissible and someone had tripped and been injured it'd be the council they could sue. Hopefully they'll charge the cost back to Thames Water if so, but it doesn't make much difference since it's Joe Public who pay in the long run either way.

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