Thames Water

I have been puzzled for some weeks by a continual low hissing in our cold water intake, hissing which did not seem to be accounted for by dripping taps or cisterns - and which I had been meaning to do something about. Then a few days ago a letter turned up from Thames Water telling us that we were getting through 302 litres of water an hour, equivalent to around £5,500 a year water charges. They suggested that there was probably a leak and that maybe we should do something about it.

First stop the home serve people at British Gas, with whom we have been for quite some years now. A cheerful plumber (Dyno-Rod division) turned up the next day and in short order pronounced it to be a leak at the stopcock/meter down a hole in the pavement outside the house. A stopcock which has been causing trouble off and on for maybe twenty years. Trouble which I believe all kicked off when the cable television people drove their moles along said pavement. While the plumber alleged that it was all down to Thames Water using cheap materials.

Second stop Thames Water, where there was a good tool for reporting trouble of this sort. With the result that the day after British Gas had come, we had our hole painted blue. And the day after that, a stopcock team appeared to do something two or three houses along. They assured BH that her turn would come next week. We shall see, but so far I am quite impressed with it all. Leak bad, but response to leak once reported good.

In the margins, I had the opportunity to inspect this fine double decker, heavy recovery combo from First Line, blocking the view from the Ford showroom in Blenheim Road. The lower lorry had been parked there for weeks, but a few days ago it made a move, to return in combo format. I dare say the Ford people are a bit fed up with it.

I think V50 FLR and V1 FLR - but still no No.39.

I was impressed by the control panel on the lower lorry, snapped above. Two day training course in somewhere nice? Or more likely on some industrial estate in the provinces.

A courtyard in the Farriers development near the Kiln Lane Sainsbury's looking well in the late afternoon sun. Sadly, the trees in some of the courtyards adjacent were not looking too well at all.

Also sadly, some of the paint on the new artwork in the Screwfix passage has already started to flake. I guess they did not wait for the concrete to dry out properly after all the rain before spraying.

On the up-side, the cranesbill previously noticed at reference 3 was looking well, again in the late afternoon sun.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/10/bricks-off.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/10/titbits.html.