Alright, yes, I appeared on the front page of a local freebie newspaper. What a BAD photo! Why did that reporter ask me to hold a very stupid pose as well?! I mean, I'm just holding onto a construction fence, not leaning against it or anything!
Hmmm, I think I know why I have that pretty bad expression, though. The picture was taken not so long after I wrote that very angry post about Steel Shark. Anyway, here is the report. I encourage you lot to read it, as I didn't go to the trouble of typing out the report for nothing (plus it'll reveal a bit more about what is going on between my faimly and that stupid development lot next door):
The Standard (Rayligh & Castle Point), Week ending November 23, 2001:
Estate sewer plant has failed 3 times
Problem area - neighbour Eddie Tugwell, whose family was in the forefront of anti-development protests, by the pumping station that has failed three times:
http://www.angelfire.com/wa3/darkhoo...Newspaper1.gif
(Be warned, image is too big. I should of resized it. . .)
Headline:
Still kciking up a stink Angry neighbours say smells and overflowing sewage from Hockley's controversial Etheldore Avenue estate are the kind of problems they feared extra homes would create. With fewer then half the houses occupied, the system that moves waste into the main sewer has already gone wrong three times.
FULL STORY - PAGE 2
Sub Headline:
Eco-protest estate in sewage row Report by Mike Miners
Angry neighbours say smells and overflowing sewage from Hockley's controversial Etheldore Avenue estate are the kind of problems they feared extra homes would create. With fewer then half the houses currently occupied, the system that transfers sewage from the main low-lying SITE to the main sewer has already gone wrong three times.
Developer, Countryside Properties, insists teething troubles with a pumping plant have now been fixed.
But recent unpleasant incidents with sewage have left neighbours - who strongly objected to the development - angry and frustated.
Three breakdowns - the most recent on November 8th - caused foul smells to emanate from the plant, in Wood Avenue. But neighbours are worried about more then smell.
"We also fear a constant stream of tanker lorries driving though to empty sewage," said Plumberow Aenue resident Pat MacMorran.
A few days ago, untreated sewage had to be cleaned up, after it burst though a manhole cover at the junction of Etheldore and Plumberow Avenues.
However, Brentwood-based developer Countryside Properties says the problems were fixed a couple of days later.
"We have worked with the contractors and the water board to solve the porblem, " said Countryside's Guy Lambert. Later, Countryside confirmed an air-lock had been to blame.
Still, neighbours remain sceptical and claim they were not given sufficient information about the pumping station at the planning stage - the time they could have used likely sewage problems as extra ground for objection.
Rochford Council's head of planning, Saen Scrutton denies this. "The pumping is the responsibility of the developer," he said.
"But the plan is for Anglian Water to take over when the development is finished. We submitted details for aproval before we granted planning permission."
But they conceded: "It is dissapointing there are teething problems."
*Whew* Okay, that's that done. . . On the subject of protesting, I protested outside Basildon Zoo with a bunch of other people against the zoo because of it's cramped conditions in the animal enclosures. After several other protests by Basildons local residents (which I didn't attend), the Zoo has announced it's closure.
- DH
[ November 23, 2001: Message edited by: Dark Hood ]
I appeared in a local newspaper (I copied the report onto here as well)
