UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion

Some of you have read this already in the grumpy thread so i apologise for posting again but Patti suggested that I make an agony aunt thread about my Grandparents. Here is the link to our local paper's website explaining a bit more about it
http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news...
We need to get something done as soon as possible for them and I didn't know if anyone had any contacts for anyone in any capacity to get their story told to as many people as possible and hopefully buck up the council and/or water board to get something sorted for them.
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated

That is awful, I hope they manage to get it sorted.

Anyone have links for people in the local council?

I'm sure that together we can help to sort this.

This is a completely unacceptable situation, in my opinion.

You may have already done this – but may I suggest a very polite letter to the Area Health officer with a CC to your local MP, (so the health officer can see the CC person) warning the Health officer that if anything unforeseen happens due to untreated sewage, considering the couples age, then he (the area health officer) will be held responsible.
I think I would also CC the editor of your local newspaper - they love 'human life' stories and it is surprising what an MP will do to make sure sewage doesn't stick to him.

I agree re the local MP,if you check the local press you will find their 'Surgery Times', go armed with as much information as possible.
Quote The Environmental Health Act 1990 which should cver " Any premises in such a state as to be predjudicial to health or a nuisance".
Do they have a designated social worker,if not it may be worth contacting them for support and advice.Their GP may also be able to put pressure on the council for relocation until such times as the situation is resolved.

Hey, Emma, how about we all politely email the CEO of Thames Water? Get everyone you know to do the same.

Here is his information:

[email protected]

I will send one today.

Done.

Thank you so much Geoff! I have forwarded the email address on to my Mum who will write one from the family.

They are so incompenent you know. They were coming to put yet another camera down to see where the problem lies and had to ring my Nan to ask her where the manhole cover was!!! Seriously they are fricking huge!!

I have also sent an email Emma.

Done.
Good luck, Emz.

I have also sent email ,hope these emails will help

Thank you everyone, I have sent my email to him too!

I forgot to mention that the sewage was all cleared up (although when they turned up to do it they had no disinfectant!!) but I really don't want them to have to put up with used sanitary towels wrapped around their garden furniture anymore and all the other nasties running through their property so am desperate to do anything I can to help them.

Emma that's awful! I will send email off as soon as Evie goes home. Another idea is to try and get the local TV news. Program involved, our one is called Calander and I have seen them take on stories like this and sure enough someone sits up and takes notice, it may be worth a try.

Yep, have sent emails today to BBC local news today actually :-)

Just sent off my email.

I've put it up on Facebook too, hopefully that should also get his inbox a little fuller.

Thanks again all and I have just received a message from an old school friend which goes thus:

Hi Emma
I hope you are well. Sorry to contact you out of the blue but I saw the story about your grandparents you've posted. I am a television producer and one of the series we make is Don't Get Done Get Dom in which we take on consumer issues. I was wondering if we could speak to your grandparents about this so we can find out from them and their neighbours how it has affected them and whether we can get involved in getting it resolved (if the company doesn't now roll over and do so)? would you be happy for me to pass your email or your grandparents details onto my colleague Helen Ross who is running this series?
Let me know
Kind regards
Sarah

You really don't know who your friends are sometimes huh?

WooHoo Emma, good work. I've had a reply from TW saying that there will be someone out today to examine the sewers.

Here's hoping it'll get sorted soon.

Woot!!!!!

Geoff! I just got that same email from Thames Water from Tristan somebody

and I also got a reply from Thames Water saying the same thing

Keep us updated on whether they show up, Emz.

Wow. Group power!

Simon (Highwayman) wrote: "Wow. Group power!"

You betcha. Power in numbers when there is a common goal.

I was at Mums just now and they phoned her to update her. Tristan is going to phone her tomorrow too! Someone has been down to assess things and they are going to look at it more closely with cameras etc tomorrow! And are going to work out how they can fix the problem for good!
They are talking about some sort of compensation for them too :-)
Mm told them that we have a contact from that programme and have no qualms with talking to them should things not happen within a reasonable timeframe and to an acceptable standar! Ie. a proper fix!!

So yay!!! I will keep you posted and thanks again all from my whole family xx

Thats great Emma ,hope it all works outx

Redickalus that they had to be embarrassed into doing something about it, but hey, as long as they are!

I think Geoff may have been our secret weapon here.......

Snap re reply,great to see they responded promptly.Hope they do indeed find a permanent solution Emma.

I agree Simon. Geoff is a superstar in so many, many ways, isn't he? :D

Geoff gets our group gold medal.

Simon (Highwayman) wrote: "Geoff gets our group gold medal."

Oh. Olympics reference. Dead clever you are Simon.

Good news Emma. Don't mess with Geoff, people!

Glad things are moving well Emma. Meanwhile, my Internet is off at the moment, another fault at the supplier. It seems like my Internet is a bit like a Ferrari, incredibly fast when it works, but at the moment, a little unreliable.

And hey, don't forget everyone else who emailed the geezer. Well done all.

Geoff, what's the email address of the CEO of your ISP...?

Emma, sent email and with all that is already happening lets hope they will come and sort the problem out very soon.

It looks like wheels are in motion but they have 'fixed' the problem before so we shall see :-)

Let's hope they do it right this time Emz or we will just have to set Geoff onto them again, we could all go en mass as Geoff back up, I am dead handy with my crutch, I could get Roy to sharpen the end.
Seriously sweetie, I do hope they get it right this time, everything crossed for them!

We had exactly the same thing when we lived in Doncaster our house was the lowest in the run of the sewers in a cul de sac. They solved our problem by fitting a 'flap valve' on the main sewer so our road's outflow could enter the main sewer but it shut when there was a lot of pressure in the main sewer. It helped us in that an enviromental health officer lived a few doors away. It only took a short while to fix. Good luck as its really horrible to have to put up with.

Glad to see that it seems to be getting sorted! I would have emailed as well but I don't really know what to say about this sort of stuff I'd be all nicey about it and say please in every other sentence.

Lynne (Tigger's Mum) wrote: "We had exactly the same thing when we lived in Doncaster our house was the lowest in the run of the sewers in a cul de sac. They solved our problem by fitting a 'flap valve' on the main sewer so ou..."

Sympathy to your grandparents. We had a similar thing with sewage flowing through our garden about 2 months ago, and there are no words! Living at the bottom of a hill our sewer was the point of least resistance for a downstream blockage caused by nappy wipes, backed up in our garden.
Now I'm off to send an email to keep Thames water on their toes - wouldnt do for them to think people werent keeping an eye on things.
G x

Hi all, thanks again for everyone's help with this :-). Mum posted this on her Facebook earlier:

This morning I emailed the CEO of Thames water again, as things had gone quiet, what do you know a cleanup team were at my mums doing a thorough job this time, I hope, and someone else is going on Tuesday afternoon to discuss a long term solution to their problems. I am sure this had nothing to do with my rather intimidating e mail!!!!!!!!

So we will see what happens!

Way to go Emma. Good to see they are getting their act together, finally.

Great news Emma.

When we first had problems I was in hospital and my husband was looking after our daughter who developed measles. He called our GP and he had to jump to the steps from the lawn over the 'brown water'. He also complained to the authority for us. When they were putting this flap in place they cleared debris from the drains on the main road and among the items they found was a sewing machine. Unbelievable but true.

Thats great Emma,one thing he did do is to email us all back and even said he would keep us informed of developments, lets hope he is as good as his word.
I really hope our Nan & Grandad will not have to suffer this anymore, that it is sorted out once and for all.

People Power eh? I do hope there will be a permanent solution for them.

There better be, my fingers are getting itchy.