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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To report Thames water to the police?

83 replies

LeopardPrintSocks1 · 07/02/2017 00:10

Since 8pm they have been digging up my road. There are currently two men hitting concrete with a crowbar and hammer due to a burst water pipe.

They claim they have to as there's a bust pipe - this has been going on for 3 weeks with water running down our road so hardly an emergency all of a sudden.

OP posts:
PyongyangKipperbang · 07/02/2017 01:14

We had this once for....gas I think, and we got cards through. One of the reasons was because it minimised disruption which is fair enough, and they warned us.

I would be severely pissed off if they just started banging at concrete at Fuck Me O'Clock with no warning in a residential street. OK so it has to be done at some time but there must be a good reason why such noisy work cannot be done during daytime. When the pub across the road was torn down and houses built, the hours of work were in the planning documents. When they started hammering at concrete with a digger at 7 am there was almost a riot with us and other neighbours coming out and demanding they STFU. They refused so we all got onto the council and within a week got letters of apology from the developers and the works never started before 9 am after that!

reuset · 07/02/2017 01:50

Hope you manage to get some sleep soon, OP. How bloody irritating.

Wishforsnow · 07/02/2017 02:09

They are doing a job. Not everyone can tip toe around your baby. I guess they do it at night to stop traffic issues or perhaps stop your house from flooding

Mablethorpe · 07/02/2017 02:29

This must be almost as irritating as sitting in a steam of traffic for an hour whilst trying to get to work only to find no TW workman in sight once you finally pass the stretch of road they're meant to be working on.

Which was what happened to me every morning last week.Envy

Motherfuckers · 07/02/2017 03:10

What will you report them for? Do police even deal with noise issues? Or do they deal with actual crime? Tough one OP.. What to do?

PyongyangKipperbang · 07/02/2017 03:17

The OP said that she has a young baby that is keeping her up at night.

Give her a break. Every minute of uninterrupted sleep is precious when you have night feeds to deal with.

I would have cheerfully strangled DH for breathing loudly before mine were sleeping through, if I thought I could have got away with it. Digging up the street would have had me out there with a meat cleaver.

Motherfuckers · 07/02/2017 03:49

But you can't report essential works to the police. The world does not stop for one person's sleep.

ItsLikeRainOnYourWeddingDay · 07/02/2017 04:17

OP I'm with you on this.

Clearly it's essential works but it's not an emergency so there is no excuse.

Fighterofthenightman · 07/02/2017 05:37

I genuinely don't understand why people think these sort of situations would be Police matters.

NotYoda · 07/02/2017 05:53

That's really annoying but that's such a waste of police time and you must know it. Non-emergency number of not, it's not a police matter

NotYoda · 07/02/2017 05:54

You could try noise pollution reporting line Council

raviolidreaming · 07/02/2017 06:10

101 weren't interested anyway and said I have to take it up with Thames water. Ffs

Well, yes. Obviously.

frumpet · 07/02/2017 06:40

Anyone else reminded of this ?

To report Thames water to the police?
PossumInAPearTree · 07/02/2017 06:48

I used to work for a water company, actually as part of the crews doing the work digging roads up. Was always told we can carry on until 11pm for non emergency work and anytime for emergencies or if it's a road we can't do in the day.

I remember one evening I was working, wasn't late maybe 8-9pm, and a bloke came out a house screaming loads of abuse at me. I told him we had every right to be there and would continue. He said that we could have at least pre warned residents. I politely asked him if that would have made the work quieter? Though he was going to thump me. Grin

TataEs · 07/02/2017 06:56

gas pipe dug up here from 5pm until about 2pm the following day.
just grateful not to be blown up tbh.
they're likely doing at night as your lovely council won't let them shut the road in day. my oh is in the industry and it's very common that the council refuse works in day hours if it will disrupt traffic Hmm councils are the bane of his life!

Creampastry · 07/02/2017 06:59

Why the hell would you phone the police? Wasting their time or what ...

MadHattersWineParty · 07/02/2017 07:08

It's not Wandsworth is it....?

TW turned off the water with no warning for a couple of hours Friday night. I'd just come in from a night out and was gasping. I had a few choice words to say about them that night I can tell you. They've been up the end of my road for weeks but we still have a full-on stream where I presume there's a burst pipe. It actually looks quite pretty 😂

But loud works late at night/turning the water off- not funny.

harderandharder2breathe · 07/02/2017 07:17

You sound s right charmer OP, calling police and shouting at people who are doing their job. The men in the road are not the ones who decide when to schedule work. YABU

Original poster
LeopardPrintSocks1 · 07/02/2017 07:19

I'll repeat for those ignoring my post - it is not essential or emergency work. The leak has been flowing for 3 weeks

The lovely guy on the phone said similar as the TW worker up thread about the council giving them permission to close the road.
He said as it's a main road it's been put on priority - however it is not a main road, it's a quiet residential road so maybe that's why it happened.

Calling 101 was daft but I didn't call 999 ffs in my sleep deprived state.

OP posts:
Original poster
LeopardPrintSocks1 · 07/02/2017 07:20

I didn't shout any abuse or profanity. I simple asked them why they were fixing a leak that had been there for 3 weeks at 12am. They're still there now and I feel fucked.

OP posts:
bimbobaggins · 07/02/2017 07:22

I can understand why this would annoy you, especially if you have a baby. It reporting it to the police. I really have heard it all now

Oblomov17 · 07/02/2017 07:23

I think YABU. Road works generally get on everyone's nerves. I hate it when I'm driving and there no one working on the roadworks!!

But agreed, midnight is too late. Mind you, if TW scheduled in for 8pm, and start banging, they can't stop mid job, can they?

TobleroneBoo · 07/02/2017 07:23

Their permit will be about to run out, which is why they are rushing to do it now

Original poster
LeopardPrintSocks1 · 07/02/2017 07:25

Grin I remember telling the guy at 101 who said no crime is being committed that there would be a crime if they didn't stfu. Luckily he laughed and gave me my local noise control number. I actually called them for advice, not for them to come and arrest the workers. To ask if it was legal.

OP posts:
Original poster
LeopardPrintSocks1 · 07/02/2017 07:25

Don't start at 8pm then, oblo

OP posts: