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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

CF county council has destroyed my wall!

241 replies

TheCouncilDestroyedMyWall · 12/04/2019 22:23

I've name changed for this as it will probably end up quite outing...

The council are improving a 'road' next to my house, this road is not passable with a normal vehicle, only a 4wd. The posh golf course behind us wants to cut down lots of trees so need access for large vehicles, therefore the council have had workers there this week improving the lane.

I spoke to them about 4 days ago just to find out what they were doing (just being nosy!) and was told that they were improving the opposite end of the lane, but not my end due to funding.

I've come back from work today to find that they've decided to drain a large, muddy puddle (probably 40m long by 7m wide) by making a large hole in our dry stone wall and digging a trench onto our land, surely they can't just do this?????

Am planning on ringing them tomorrow and asking for the wall to be rebuilt and everything put back to how it was, anyone had a similar experience at all? I'm quite flabbergasted by the cheek to be honest Grin

OP posts:
Thread gallery
13
AdamAntsCrackpotHistory · 13/04/2019 05:54

Bloody despicable... I shall merely ditto others' wise advice but do also ask the council or the work contractor for their Ecological Survey as well... It's nesting season and if they're cutting down trees they'd have to have done one. Bet they blooming didn't. Bad luck OP...

shouldwestayorshouldwego · 13/04/2019 05:55

Can you find any photos on rightmove of the wall before you bought the house? Many have historical sales images going back 10 years.

SleepWarrior · 13/04/2019 05:59

Wow, that's awful. You seem very calm about it though (or at least your writing comes across as calm); I'm impressed! I'd be hopping mad.

AwkwardSquad · 13/04/2019 06:05

Contacting your council via their social media should get a rapid response - Twitter and Facebook. Email them with the full details as well.

TixieLix · 13/04/2019 06:28

If they plan to build some sort of wedding venue in the woods then surely the whole lane would need to be improved because you couldn't have wedding cars or non 4x4 driving over that. I'd be spitting feathers if that damage had been done to my wall/land and I hope you sue them for damages and get it put right OP.

phenomenalcat · 13/04/2019 06:36

My dad used to work for highways and said the council have a duty not to let water drain onto your land.
He was suggesting I contact them about a small non issue we have as it shouldn't be happening technically.
Also if it's contractors they can be a law unto themselves. They've just been doing some dubious work here that had to be redone when I pointed out the issues.
Contact highways ASAP. If that doesn't work try your Cllr.

Mummyoflittledragon · 13/04/2019 06:52

Shock cf extreme. Just why?

lunar1 · 13/04/2019 06:57

What the hell!! It's not going to be a cheap fix either, there are relatively few people actually able to authentically rebuild a dry stone wall.

OVAgroundWOMBlingfree · 13/04/2019 07:04

WTAF?

MinecraftMother · 13/04/2019 07:12

Wow. That is certainly a fuck up. But the hysteria on this thread is typical Mumsnet.

My phone didn't load the end of the thread but seriously, sue the council for thousand...criminal damage...legally they can drink into any low lying land....

😂

Nope.

It will be a mistake. A contractor not reading the brief.

Ask the council to make it right. If they don't, THEN go and see your local solicitor and get them to write the council a letter. If you are afraid they're gonna carry on pulling shit like this ask your local litigation solicitor to do a letter asking them to stop and threatening injunctive relief.

It'll be a mistake. Irritating for you, but no need to go wild with suing and calling the police for criminal damage (for which there has to be intent, no intent here).

SplinterSplit · 13/04/2019 07:13

I believe this is illegal - 'tresspass' of water. You could sue if it was your neighbours guttering discharging onto your land, so this must surely be the same... it's outrageous!

MinecraftMother · 13/04/2019 07:14

Ps I know a very good dry stone waller...

cupoftea84 · 13/04/2019 07:23

Yes they have to put it back to how it was and they can't just drain road water into your land like that, it'll cause damage/ pollution.
If they fob you off you might need a solicitor.

UCOinanOCG · 13/04/2019 07:25

That's terrible. You need to make sure they recompense you for this and make it good again.

Not much point contacting the council today though. It's the weekend now.

molamoob · 13/04/2019 07:31

Shocking CFery. Agree with making as much fuss as possible.

At our old house the back garden was higher than the adjoining property which was being renovated by cowboys. We came back after a weekend away to find they'd demolished half of the boundary wall and dug out a good few meters squared (over a meter deep) of our land!
Took a long while to resolve, during which they even suggested we'd need to pay for half of the wall reinstating (er...no!).
So yes, have had similar happen but not on such a huge scale, you sound remarkably calm so hats off to you.

Original poster
TheCouncilDestroyedMyWall · 13/04/2019 07:35

Right, to try and answer some questions, apologies if I miss anyone out...

A few people have mentioned Google Street view, but it stops about 300 yards away, it really was impossible for a normal car to drive down (we tow about one lost idiot a month out!)

@AssassinatedBeauty not sure, could be buried in the puddle!

@TatianaLarina thanks! Didn't realise he was on there, this is definitely outing now to anyone that knows me!

@DeaflySilence thanks, they're very interesting!

@Purpleartichoke building is safe, it's a little way away and much higher

@ChardonnaysPrettySister definitely do not want it in the mail! I'm not good at sad face pictures... And the neighbors would take the piss for evermore Grin

@shouldwestayorshouldwego, nope, it's a back wall so no pictures

@SleepWarrior I'm pretty annoyed!

@TixieLix this is neighborhood rumour, so not 100% sure it's true, the access would be from their golf course, which backs onto the same muddy lane

@MinecraftMother don't worry, phoning them and asking them to fix it is going to be our first point of call! And are they in the Midlands area of the country at all?

We have legal cover, but will try through the council first, apparently they're open today according to the website, but I don't hold our much hope of hearing anything useful back from them today, but I will update with what they say later on.

OP posts:
Oblomov19 · 13/04/2019 07:39

Jesus Christ. That is bad. It can't be put back to what it was, the only hope is that is that it's partially repaired.

Hope this is solved, to your satisfaction, soon OP.

Coronapop · 13/04/2019 07:46

Report the council to police for criminal damage.

SaveKevin · 13/04/2019 07:49

Are they aware of what time of year it is with nesting birds and tree chopping down?
How will increased use of the lane affect you?

Bloody cocks. Your poor wall id imagine all sorts of wildlife etc called it home.

HoneysuckIejasmine · 13/04/2019 07:54

Bloody hell! I thought you meant a small hole at the bottom of the wall, not that they'd bulldozed the whole thing!

Frouby · 13/04/2019 08:01

I suspect that the plans haven't been read correctly. Probably someone else (council or golf course or other landowner) has given permission to remove wall and drain into their land, and the drawings have either been read wrong or they are wrong.

Hope you get some answers OP.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 13/04/2019 08:03

You need to be on standby today in case the contractors come back and do more damage.

Bahhhhhumbug · 13/04/2019 08:03

Love the dogs ears, even he looks outraged Grin Watching with interest we're having a similar ish dispute with a social housing authority decided put a new boundary fence for their new builds that juts into our garden by about a metre. Did it while we were out like you and came home to a smaller garden!!

GarthFunkel · 13/04/2019 08:07

Local elections coming up - email your local councillor as well as trying the council itself.

Original poster
TheCouncilDestroyedMyWall · 13/04/2019 08:09

I've not seen any evidence of the golf course removing trees yet, think these are the works to the lane so they can do that later on, so hopefully after the bird nesting season.

The lane being improved makes walking the dog nicer, but will, I'm sure, lead to increased fly tipping (it's a bit of a hot spot for that, but at least only 4wd can currently get down there!)

@Bahhhhhumbug that's even cheekier than this! Hope your get it sorted

OP posts:
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