the demise of connaught has reminded me
of the time i had to make a very odd complaint.

about 8 years ago, i lived in a high rise block.
one morning, i was awakened by the sound of drilling outside my front door. i rose and staggered to open the door. the workman outside was astonished to see me, but not as astonished as i was to see him in the process of fitting a secure metal door(known locally as tinning up) over my ordinary front door. of course, i asked him what the hell was going on. he informed me that he worked for the council and had been given the job of tinning up my flat, as nobody lived there.
i was perturbed, nay, positively angered by this. i'm not normally so impolite to workmen, but i felt the need to tell him to fuck off at that point.
staggering blearily into the living room, i immediately phoned the council to see what the fuck they were playing at.
well, it seems that, as they'd knocked at my door twice to check the plumbing and got no reply, they'd decided in their infinite wisdom that i'd moved out. no need to telephone or send a letter, obviously. nobody goes out more than once in a week, do they?
i think it was obvious to them that i was rather pissed off by this turn of events, but it didn't stop them from trying to do it again a week later.
fucking idiots.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Wed 8 Sep 2010, 14:10, 12 replies)

To be honest,
I'd have let them get on with it and then placed a charge for being held against your will. (In your own home, with the kettle on!)
( Blind Meach Cautiously optimistic, Wed 8 Sep 2010, 14:13, closed)

That's just a little bit frightening.
I mean - considering at what speed councils work at, if they'd completed the job you could have been in actual, real trouble in terms of food supply, etc.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Wed 8 Sep 2010, 14:35, closed)

it happened to my ex
he got home with his shopping to find his door had been tinned up. took them 2 hours to come out and let him in, by which time most of his stuff had defrosted!
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Wed 8 Sep 2010, 17:33, closed)

Which council?
Was it Westminster, by any chance? or Wandsworth?
( shinyshinyscalp less a man, more a way of life, Wed 8 Sep 2010, 14:52, closed)

liverpool

( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Wed 8 Sep 2010, 17:29, closed)

Gang of utter arse heads the lot of 'em.
At one point, three years ago (possibly still do so, that was the last time I checked), I had three council tax numbers for some reason. I've given up trying to explain that I'm only one person and only pay to one of the numbers now.
( Funkenschlag still likes dogs more than cats, Wed 8 Sep 2010, 20:45, closed)

Surely
they should have known someone was living there as you must have been paying rent?

Idiots.
(Petite chien is going to do science to it, Wed 8 Sep 2010, 16:27, closed)

you'd think so, wouldn't you?
and yet they tried it with 3 other people in the same block
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Wed 8 Sep 2010, 17:30, closed)

if they had locked you in then you wouldnt have needed the bypass....starvation being the solution!

but that is scary though....

so if they thought it was empty were you paying them rent of sorts?
(Lip Up Fatty Fatty Reggae still loves BBQ food on, Wed 8 Sep 2010, 18:18, closed)

no, but the housing were
just another case of not being able to find their arses with both hands
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Wed 8 Sep 2010, 18:44, closed)

Health and Safety ???
A high rise block ? Front door (and presumably main fire escape route ?) being blocked off ? What would have happened if you needed to get out in an emergency, pick child up from school etc etc ?
Phone the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), they really will be on your side and interested in this. Some fucker has fucked up big time on this policy.
(Bitter and Twisted, Wed 8 Sep 2010, 21:32, closed)

Isnt there a statute of limitations of some sort
on local council fuckwhitery.

This happened over 8 years ago.
( bane, Thu 9 Sep 2010, 9:14, closed)