Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Turnpike Lane Flood
Oh my word. 2:30 Friday and heavy rain caused a flash flood where Turnpike Lane meets Wood Green High Road. As I walked through puddles on the pavement the stench was unbearable and I could barely stay upright as it was like walking on ice-slippery and greasy! I looked down and could see human excrement over a considerably large stretch of the pedestrian path!!!
I walked back to my Mum’s house. I phoned Haringey Council Environmental Health and was told it was nothing to do with them. It was the responsibility of Thames Water and they had been called and were in attendance.
I walked back to Turnpike Lane to check: no Thames Water. I phoned Haringey Council again telling them Thames Water were not in evidence. I was told (again) it was the responsibility of Thames Water and by being on the phone I was holding up other callers. “But I’m a concerned member of the public. This is an environmental health issue. Someone needs to come and corden off the pavement. You could phone Thames Water.” Response: “You’re blocking the phone line. This can be reported online.”
I walked back to my Mum’s and phoned Thames Water. No, it had not been reported. Oh dear, I said, someone at Haringey Council Environmental Health has been telling mistruths I replied. Thames Water reported the issue and told me they would attend within 2 hours. The engineer phoned to tell me he would arrive within 40 minutes. I suspect the road will be partly closed and this will impact on my bus ride home.
Lesson: Haringey Council work within the small remit of each department-like Fordist methods of production.. It appears staff are not willing to go the extra mile to address unpleasant issues in the borough. The staff with whom I had dealings had no conception of the danger to the public of human waste. Haringey staff make use of the “online” option which dehumanises telephone callers.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Catherine Smith on
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Haringey council are completely useless try not paying your rent and see how quick they act
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Permalink Reply by EMC2 on
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This is one of the main shopping streets in Haringey this afternoon. It's like this every time it rains. Ever since Haringey Council replaced the pavements.
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Permalink Reply by Geraldine B on
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Lydia - you are a star - thanks for your effort - DESPITE Haringey Council Environmental Health jobsworth!
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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That all sounds pretty unsatisfactory. Were you definitely through to Environmental Health? What usually happens is that no matter who you ask the operator for, you'll be put through to a call centre. They have little knowledge of particular issues. Whilst they can't be blamed for that, it does sound like your call was dealt with very ineptly.
Turnpike Lane has been prone to flooding for over a hundred years. I'm not sure if the underlying reason has changed, but the outcome seems not to have done.
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The description of my above attempts are abridged. From initial phone call to Thames Water conversation it took almost 1:30hrs. I tried a google search for Haringey Environmental Health which came back as 0208 489 1335 so I’m assuming that would have taken me right to the source. I certainly didn’t get the impression it was a call centre. At one point I asked to speak to the call handler’s superior and was rebuked. But call centre or Environmental Health, I certainly shouldn’t have been told the lie that Thames Water were on their way.
Thames Water told me the flooding was due to the drains from the shops and how they connected to the main drainage in Turnpike Lane.
I remember the Ladder roads flooding in the 1960s and children swimming in the streets. At the Ducketts Common end of Raleigh Road, the water used to reach a 10 year old’s waist.
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Thank you for being such a conscientious member of society! Many others would have ignored it and not attempted to fix it. We need more people with this attitude!
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Thank you, Emma. It took a long time and much effort and patience. Unfortunately, many people do not have the time I have now that I am semi-retired.
Funnily, it didn’t finish as I’d suspected! 2:15hrs after my first phone call, Thames Water knocked on my Mum’s door. “It isn’t here”, I told the operative and explained the background and location. I also asked: “Are you alone?” I explained the pavement was affected from the junction of Turnpike Lane with Willowby Road and all the way up as far as the Harringay Passages. He said he would call for back up.
Thames Water promised me they would unblock the sewers and drains as necessary. Then follow this with a thorough disinfectant. I do hope Thames and their operative were true to their word. The vision of people slipping and sliding through human excrement, women walking along trying to hold up their sari’s and a wheelchair user self navigating through the flood remain with me. The people of Haringey deserve better.
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Permalink Reply by Bob Ruggles on
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Flooded pavements are a Council Issue . Technically they are the ones that are supposed Clear the Drains
Expect the Service has been cut.
Joke is that the Council Spent many Millions on Wood Green High Road pavements. So much that it was subbed out to several contractors
Seems New Councillors need a Little Nudge
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Thank you for this info. I recall reading on the BBC news website, just this week, what councils are legally responsible for: one is promoting public health which includes preventing infectious disease. Given the human faeces and sewerage issues I witnessed, Haringey have clearly been negligent. My next step should be a letter to ALL the County Councillors!!!! I hope I can maintain my energy as I seem to write so many letters these days.
I managed to get The Ombadsman to take up an issue with Eon over a Smart Meter (I was right, Eon had to concede). And I’m still waiting for a reply to a second letter to Virgin trains. I could make a business out of letters of complaint
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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What’s worrying is that if this was the rain water drains backing up (the gullies by the roadside) people must have connected their loos to them rather than the sewer. If that’s the case Thames Water need to start door knocking in the area. The rainwater is carried straight out to rivers and streams untreated as it’s is assumed to be only carrying rain and street detritus.
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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My first thought was fatburger Michael. Also. I had Thames Water come to my house a year or so ago and go into my drains to cap off a rain water pipe that was open in my main sewer. Apparently they were going around the ladder as they had traced back to Harringay that there was a source of sewage in rain water storm drains. As you say TW are on the issue of sewage in rain water flows as it is illigal to allow untreated sewage into rivers or the sea now. (What did the Europeans ever do for us?)
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I always take the name of the person I am talking to if I do not trust that they will deal with things satisfactorily. That way if I have to chase or go back to anyone I know who to point the finger at. I hope it also makes the person on the other end of the line feel slightly more responsible for a positive outcome as opposed to having the safety blanket of anonymity to hide behind.
It sounds aggressive but it is the only way to ensure any accountability, sadly a feature missing from much of the public sector I seem to have dealt with.
i should also say well done for having sufficient civic pride to actually do something about it.
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