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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Pneumatic Drill Outside at 2am

31 replies

ineedtosleepNOW · 08/03/2023 16:46

Aibu to be annoyed? ...

From about 10pm until about 2am last night the road outside my house was shut. There were workers right outside digging up the road with pneumatic drills and with trucks with bright lights flashing. They were shouting out to each other.

It kept us all awake. As a single woman I wasn't prepared to go out and question them.

My reason for being particularly annoyed is that my daughter had A level "mock exams" today (the results of which are to be used as a guidance for Uni applications). She didn't get much sleep.

I've spoken to our highways department today to ensure it's not happening again tonight, as I'll get her to stop at a friends as she has more exams tomorrow.

It turns out it was Anglian Water who only got permission to do the work if they notified residents (which they didn't)!

I suppose I should let it drop but it's really frustrating when you're all awake at 2am!

OP posts:
TinySaltLick · 08/03/2023 16:52

It is unfortunate timing for sure, what a pain

Unfortunately water is quite important and it would be pretty hard to try and gain consensus of all residents every time they needed to dig up a road so I think is just part of life really

Hopefully the hole is dug now!

user1471447863 · 08/03/2023 17:02

I'd assume works at that time would be emergency works - major leak or something

rwalker · 08/03/2023 17:49

I work for one of the utilities and this type of work is done at that time for a reason

emergency work needed to maintain supply

traffic sensitive rd main route or something and closure would be impractical or permit to put traffic management in would take too long

ether way it cost a premium and work at this hour is the last resort not to piss u off

complain by all means but let me guess you’d be complaining if u had no water

megletthesecond · 08/03/2023 17:52

They weren't doing it for fun that time of night. It was probably to stop a huge leak.

donttellmehesalive · 08/03/2023 18:05

Annoying but an unavoidable emergency surely.

Cyclistmumgrandma · 08/03/2023 18:10

Yes, it was probably an emergency and yes it probably needed to be done, but if notified in advance OP could have had her DD sleep elsewhere the night before an important exam!

ShakespearesBlister · 08/03/2023 18:13

And of course you wouldn't be complaining at all if you suddenly lost your water supply because they didn't carry out emergency works at short notice because they hadn't notified the neighbours...

gogohmm · 08/03/2023 18:14

They don't do nighttime worlds for fun. Yab a bit I. Yes its annoying but they are working hard to keep our water supply. We live on an arterial route than only be closed for emergencies so they do essential maintenance at night, I recommend earplugs

Beachbreak2411 · 08/03/2023 18:19

Pretty sure they wanted to be there less than you wanted them there! When would you like them to undertake this work? The road outside my house has been closed on and off throughout the night for the past 2 months for various problems that need sorting (water and gas)… same thing… noise and lights. Wouldn’t have occurred to me to moan about it! My 12 year old daughter suggested we took them hot drinks and cake one night when it was particularly cold, and she wore earplugs to bed if she was disturbed.

LakieLady · 08/03/2023 18:22

user1471447863 · 08/03/2023 17:02

I'd assume works at that time would be emergency works - major leak or something

That's exactly what it was when the road was dug up in the early hours where I used to live.

There was a massive leak and it was in danger of flooding nearby houses.

cutegorilla · 08/03/2023 18:23

Cyclistmumgrandma · 08/03/2023 18:10

Yes, it was probably an emergency and yes it probably needed to be done, but if notified in advance OP could have had her DD sleep elsewhere the night before an important exam!

I agree. I think we all understand the need to do this kind of work but the impact could be mitigated if people were just made aware in advance.

steff13 · 08/03/2023 18:23

Like PP, I would have assumed that it was an emergency.

steff13 · 08/03/2023 18:25

Cyclistmumgrandma · 08/03/2023 18:10

Yes, it was probably an emergency and yes it probably needed to be done, but if notified in advance OP could have had her DD sleep elsewhere the night before an important exam!

But you don't always get a lot of notice in an emergency, hence the "emergency." If it only came up at, say 9:00 p.m., would you have wanted them to be knocking on your door at 9:30 or 9:45 to let you know they're going to making noise? A lot of people would have already been asleep.

Theunamedcat · 08/03/2023 18:25

We have had a large hole pumping water for the last two days nothing has been done except a big blue arrow has been spray painted on the grass pointing at the hole pouring water....just in case no-one could see it

Move to a seven trent area its quieter

SnowLemons · 08/03/2023 18:27

You'd be the first to complain if your water was off in the morning though

amylou8 · 08/03/2023 18:48

I'd be really annoyed. Yes the work may have been essential, but in anything other than an emergency you should have been given notice so you could make alternative plans if you wanted to. I live behind a railway line and get letters about night works on a fairly regular basis. Not once in 20 years have they disturbed me, but the courteousy is still appreciated.

fUNNYfACE36 · 08/03/2023 19:35

Hiw would it have been better if they had notified you?

TroysMammy · 08/03/2023 19:39

I get text messages and emails if there is a water problem in my postcode area.

QueenOfThorns · 08/03/2023 19:42

fUNNYfACE36 · 08/03/2023 19:35

Hiw would it have been better if they had notified you?

If you read the OP, she would have arranged for her DD to sleep at a friend’s house so that she could get some sleep before her exams

LlynTegid · 08/03/2023 20:04

Complain to the regulatory body, is it Ofwat?

WinTheLeague · 08/03/2023 21:58

It wasn't an emergency.

It was planned in advance and approved on the proviso that residents were told!

rwalker · 08/03/2023 22:20

WinTheLeague · 08/03/2023 21:58

It wasn't an emergency.

It was planned in advance and approved on the proviso that residents were told!

There will definitely been a reason it’s done out of hours wether emergency or planned work
I work for one of the utilities and tbh a few residents complaining wouldn’t stop the work being done

PollyPut · 08/03/2023 22:55

If they were supposed to notify, but didn't, then by all means communicate to both the company and the council who gave them the permit to dig (presumably subject to condition). You are right that she could have slept somewhere else instead. Next time, hopefully process will be followed - very important when she has the real exams in a few months

AlanThePig · 08/03/2023 23:01

I gave up trying to get notified by highways. My house borders a wooded area which eventually borders a road. The wood is their land.
DH was away and I’m usually a bit nervous on my own anyway, but the chainsaws at 1am really freaked me out. Turned out that Highways had chosen that time to do some pruning in the woods. Apparently I didn’t need to be notified of this, despite the group of blokes with chainsaws 30ft from my bedroom window. Why this couldn’t be done in the day they couldn’t answer.

I also had a spectacular row with them last spring when they decided to cut a path through the wood (still no idea why) and began this work in April. Just as all the birds had started to nest. They’d got around 200 yards in before I managed to get hold of someone with sense at Highways who made the call to stop them. I complained, had another letter full of waffle about miscommunication over nesting bird season etc and basically saying ‘but we’ll be back’.

I eagerly await it because if it’s in nesting season again they’ll have to go through me.

QuintanaRoo · 08/03/2023 23:05

fUNNYfACE36 · 08/03/2023 19:35

Hiw would it have been better if they had notified you?

Ha ha. I used to work for Anglian water and was once digging a road up at about 11pm when some bloke came out the house screaming he’d had no prior notice. I asked him if prior notice would have made my drill any quieter! And yes it was an emergency so no we didn’t have to notify anyone.

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