What sort of person pours concrete down a sewer and hopes that it will just drain away, or at least go unnoticed? A complete idiot (or rather a ‘concrete idiot’) that’s who! Or maybe someone – or some people – who just doesn’t care. Either way, they’re still an idiot. This is what seems to have happened several weeks ago in Richmond Road, East Twickenham. The concrete blocked over 35 metres of sewer pipe and Thames Water are still busy sorting out the problem, pumping out waste and generally causing traffic delays and disturbance in East Twickenham as they do it. Not their fault, but it’s gotta be done. The blockage is right outside the big building site where Ryde House once stood and where a new Lidl and home for Deer Park School is going up. A co-incidence? Who knows? Investigations continue into exactly how this callous concrete dumping disaster happened and who was responsible.
Richmond Road, East Twickenham [pic credit: LBRuT]
The work to repair the problems was estimated at three weeks by Thames Water but it’s taken longer than that and it’s still not finished and so now El Brute has taken the decision to fine Thames Water in an effort to make them get a bloody move on. Daily fines are now being applied. However LBRuT has given TW permission to work 24/7 on the fix. This is likely to be met with conflicting views from locals who will welcome the problem getting solved but perhaps not the prospect of night work on Richmond Road. Come on Thames Water, just get it finished! And it is indeed expected to be finished next week (commencing 19th November).
Queries on the works taking place should be addressed in the first instance to Thames Water on 0800 316 9800 quoting reference number BB971876 but issues around any noise complaints should be made via the Council’s website.
Let’s hope that whichever block head – or block heads – caused the problem in the first place are identified and brought to account or at least get told to try to do better next time. We wonder if any of that surplus concrete can be made into boots.
LINK:
* LBRuT press website
Twickerati 
good to see this has got here from ALL the other media….:/
Can anyone believe facebook??
and how about a camera taking a movie to see if there is any action , or just pumping noises??? 🙂
It’s pretty clear to this local what happened: Kier were pumping concrete into foundations for the new school/Lidl and somehow it started flowing into the main sewer. Who knows whether that was Kier’s fault or a problem with the sewer. The lawyers are no doubt going to make a lot of money.
Interesting comment on this item on Facebook:
Jacki commented: “A survey was done on behalf of Thames Water, and the findings said there was a redundant sewer pipe. This was then filled with concrete, after it was filled they found out the survey was incorrect, and the pipe was in fact a secondary pipe, which is needed for overflow… now it all has to be sorted out.. this has taken 6 weeks so far and no end date in sight… Unbelievable a surveyor got it SO WRONG… Thames Water have said they’re investigating!!”
We don’t know if that’s actually correct or not but it sounds like a plausible explanation. Either way, as Jeremy says, some lawyers will be happy.
Interesting theory. But, if it was just a secondary overflow pipe, how come TW have been pumping out shyte continuously since it was filled.
Er…guess principle is that secondary sewers have to be connected to a primary sewer, otherwise…
This is indeed vairy interesting. Miraculous that suddenly the road is now clear (ish). Have TW just packed up and gone home at the first threat of fines OR did they really fix the problem?
Before we all start bashing Thames water they are doing their best to sort the problem but it is a mammoth task that the local keyboard warriors need to understand.
I completely agree John, but the New Brutes are merely seeking to deflect attention away from them. Personally I don’t see this in the same terms as Twickerati. Is this criminal damage? I don’t know, but I hope the police ARE investigating.
Have they? They have overrun their own estimates of how long it would take several times and counting. The local keyboard warriors have been sat in their cars and on buses for hours on end witnessing that at times the amount of activity that was going on looked like paint drying. And it would not have actually taken that much effort for their PR people to have communicated what was happening. If you are a neighbour there has been too little communication, if you were further away, absolutely nothing. It does not suggest that the people whose lives they were affecting were very far up their priorities…..
I agree with Twicksblog, this looks like criminal behaviour either via intent or from negligence! It seems the boys in blue are struggling to look into even serious crimes these days so not sure there is any chance they will have much success tracking down the culprits, hope I am wrong.
The volumes of concrete required to fill a sewer pipe for 35m depends on the size of the pipe but with a sewer it’s going to be a huge amount, more than one load which is 10 cubic yards. So I think it is safe to say this wasn’t some random act to disposes of some leftover concrete!
If you live locally, it’s obvious where it’s come from: Kier were drilling massive holes and pumping concrete as they worked on the foundations for the new Lidl/Primary School building. Thames Water are apparently analysing samples of the concrete they’ve drilled out to prove where it came from, but it would be extremely surprising if that wasn’t the source. Then there’s an argument about accuracy of maps of sewers. There will be claims galore. No need for the police.