WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Stanley]

No pee drinking here, it has rained non stop for 214 hours and now the heating has kicked in.... Deep Joy!!
Later. Melbourne is in the news this morning for all the wrong reasons. See THIS for a report on the charging of Cardinal Pell, senior prelate in Australia and adviser to Pope Francis, has been charged with multiple sex offences.

[Tizer]

The FT this morning notes that in Scotland almost none of the tower blocks or other high buildings have been declared as a fire risk. This is because a man was killed in a high-rise fire in Scotland in 1999 and it resulted in regulations being tightened there...but not elsewhere in the UK.

[Stanley]

Perhaps they actually installed the mandatory fire doors, extinguishers and regulatory framework.....
Some very accurate and pertinent comment in PE yesterday.... Worth reading. Under devolution Wales and Scotland administer their own regulations. Wales in particular has very stringent ones particularly in terms of active fire management like sprinkler systems and when they were brought in developers said that they would kill new building but this hasn't happened....

[Tizer]

Lord Porter on the Today programme this morning said the fire tests on the cladding are not satisfactory and should be done on the combined cladding plus insulation. I've been puzzled from the beginning about why they were testing the aluminium/PE cladding. It was already known to be easy to ignite. It didn't need any more tests to prove it and, as Porter said, a lot of time and money has been wasted on the tests. They should be testing the combined structure of insulation/cavity/cladding for each of the towers under investigation and also identifying which materials had been used on the towers. I wouldn't be surprised if they found some had polyurethane insulation or even polystyrene, which are more flammable than PIR which will have been used in most of the towers. Another thing not much mentioned is that the company which supplied the cladding went into administration part way through the Grenfell renovation project because it failed to pay the manufacturer of the materials. The boss bought out the assets, changed the name slightly (Harley Facades) and carried on with the Grenfell project. (Porter's Today interview is reported here: LINK )

[Big Kev]

United Utilities have located the source of the water that's flooding my cellar, hurrah! The surface water drain under a house further up the hill has collapsed. The only downside is there's a 7 day turnaround on the repair.

[Stanley]

I had a visit from the Big Yin yesterday, He delivered the blood sugar meter. We did one test then immediately after I had had my tea and I shall do another this morning before dinner and report the findings to the congregation in medical matters.
Yiota and Ashley visit tomorrow, Tension mounts!!

[Stanley]

I had a visit from the Big Yin yesterday, He delivered the blood sugar meter. We did one test then immediately after I had had my tea and I shall do another this morning before dinner and report the findings to the congregation in medical matters.
Yiota and Ashley visit tomorrow, Tension mounts!!



I shall be valve setting and steaming the engine today.....

[Tizer]

United Utilities have located the source of the water that's flooding my cellar, hurrah! The surface water drain under a house further up the hill has collapsed. The only downside is there's a 7 day turnaround on the repair.

The company is probably fully occupied in printing banknotes to pay all its fines!
`15 Jul 2016 - United Utilities Water Limited (UU) has been fined £600,000 and its contractor, KMI+ £333,000 at Bolton Crown Court on Friday 24 June 2016 after pleading guilty to polluting a brook.'
`23 Sep 2015 - United Utilities is paying £25 million compensation to more than 300000 households who had to boil their water for much of August because of the parasite...'
`3 Mar 2015 - United Utilities (UU) has been branded “reckless” and hit with a £750,000 fine today after it allowed 7 million litres of raw sewage to flow into the Duddon Estuary.'
`7 May 2014 - United Utilities has been fined £400k for what was described as a ‘ catastrophic failure’ in an incident at the firm’s Stockport Waste Treatment Works.'
`18 Apr 2007 - The water regulator today threatened United Utilities with an £8.5m fine for uncompetitive trading practices.'
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Journalists are finally getting their act together and the real story behind the tower block cladding issue is beginning to emerge. Developers have been allowed to proceed with flammable claddings simply on the basis of argument rather than proof. Successive governments have let this happen because they allowed flexibility in the hope that it would encourage more innovation.
`How flammable cladding gets approved' LINK

[PanBiker]

Yesterday afternoon sometime, all the covers on the stop taps in the street on our row on the croft were lifted. They were left open as well which is a bit curious if it was done by the utilities, a trip hazard every few yards as they are all set in the pavement.

From the index page it would seem that it's a China

[Stanley]

You're lucky they weren't stolen and weighed in Ian!
Happy Birthday China!
My grand daughter Yiota visits today so she can see Alex's engine running. Looking forward to seeing her, must clean up and get ready! No shed as I must be clean.
Later ..... as Jack and I went for our later walk the Kingsmill bread van passed just as we came down the steps into the Pioneer car park. It hit the signs on the post nearest to the war memorial but only readjusted their position. I don't think they are going to last long!

[Stanley]

See THIS for a report on Stephen Hawking's opinion of Trump's rejection of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Regardless of your personal opinion this man, a walking miracle, deserves to be listened to with respect.

[Big Kev]

United Utilities have located the source of the water that's flooding my cellar, hurrah! The surface water drain under a house further up the hill has collapsed. The only downside is there's a 7 day turnaround on the repair.

The rain this morning means there's more water in my cellar, unfortunately surface water and sewage use the same pipes. At least it's filtered a bit before it gets to my house...

[Stanley]

Even so...... I hope you get a result soon Kev.

[PanBiker]

Commiserations Kev. When I had my business at the bottom of Spring Lane in Colne, I had the same thing when the main drain collapsed at the bottom of the hill. The whole run off from it ended up in my basement workshop about 2 foot deep, surface water and sewage. Not over my workbenches but I lost quite a bit of kit, including customers equipment. The insurance company didn't half wriggle and I ended up stumping half the compensation up myself, I don't like insurance companies they take your brass then....

[Marilyn]

Best to buy the house at the top of the hill then?

How can sewage and storm water mix? It is not allowed here.

[PanBiker]

Collapsed drains Gloria causing backup and contamination, even sewers have to breath and water will find its own way out. My workshop was in a basement and just below road level. No problem when everything is intact.

[Big Kev]

How can sewage and storm water mix? It is not allowed here.

110 years old, it is here...

[Big Kev]

Commiserations Kev. When I had my business at the bottom of Spring Lane in Colne, I had the same thing when the main drain collapsed at the bottom of the hill. The whole run off from it ended up in my basement workshop about 2 foot deep, surface water and sewage. Not over my workbenches but I lost quite a bit of kit, including customers equipment. The insurance company didn't half wriggle and I ended up stumping half the compensation up myself, I don't like insurance companies they take your brass then....

I've been reasonably lucky. It runs across the cellar, from where it has broken through the wall, and down my cellar drain. Fortunately because of the distance it has travelled it's fairly well filtered. The most I've seen at any one time is around 4 inches deep.

[chinatyke]

From the index page it would seem that it's a China

Thanks Ian and Stanley. Bit late because I've been busy for the last few days and haven't looked in.

[Stanley]

Being busy is lovely China. I never have enough time! It made me a good man to employ all my life and now I am convinced that it's the best way to keep happy and ward off the dreaded dementia!

[Big Kev]

UU have been out today and repaired the drain up the street, a dye test and all is looking good at the minute. I have mopped out the excess water and set the dehumidifier running. If all is good after a few days I'll plug up the hole in the wall and reinstate the heavy duty membrane, a bit of shuttering and a bit o' concrete will finish the job.

[Stanley]

I'm glad they have got it sorted. Green Bank Farm on Gisburn Old Track had a cellar that was permanently full of water. The story was that it had filled up shortly after the house was built and never dried out so they lived with it.
I have an idea that Mr and Mrs Tiz are probably up their eyes in conveyancing and possibly flitting.

[Tripps]

Interesting contrast - the Supreme Court has ruled it is unlawful to keep your child away from school, but it seems it's fine for MP's to have a day out at Wimbledon or Glastonbury during 'term time'.

[Big Kev]

UU have been out today and repaired the drain up the street, a dye test and all is looking good at the minute. I have mopped out the excess water and set the dehumidifier running. If all is good after a few days I'll plug up the hole in the wall and reinstate the heavy duty membrane, a bit of shuttering and a bit o' concrete will finish the job.

I spoke too soon. UU are back tomorrow.

[Stanley]

Why, is it just to finish or is it still flowing?