Southwark Council, sort it out !

Seriously, the spot I am referring to in the email below has been a joke for a LONG time now, constantly covered in bird faeces, and occasionally jet washed to a seriously slippery finish. Just stop the birds from nesting up there, then the problem is over with surely?

I will get some pics of the said spot in the dry and better lighting when I can to show what I mean, but for now, I am aching and am unimpressed with the state of the pavement. Thanks for falling over into bird crap !

I am writing to you today regarding a fall I have taken on one of your pavements on Southwark Park Road at the junction of Raymouth Road opposite Drummond Road.

The cause of the fall was purely down to the build up of bird faeces on the pavement causing the surface be be very slippery. As I began to slip I tried to catch myself, causing what I can only describe as a cartoon slip on the spot before finally falling to my knees.
While this might sound slightly amusing, it has caused me a great deal of distress both mentally and physically. It is humiliating to take a fall like that in public, without the addition of then having to continue my journey covered in bird faeces.
In the fall I have strained the muscles in my neck and shoulder, caused scuffs on both my hands, as well as getting faeces on my trousers, trainers, hands and bag.
(pics attached)
I have seen on a number of occasions that crews jet wash the pavement, however this build up is quite a lot so indicates it has been a while. And even after the attempted clean up, the pavement remains very slippery.
Walking under this rail bridge is always an interesting affair, wondering if you will be bombed by the pigeons above. So it bothers me a great deal that so little has been done to prevent them from settling there. Other bridges have had successful netting work carried out.
So, today I am left with my clothing covered in bird faeces, sore hands, and a tight neck and shoulder, all thanks to the poor efforts of a council in maintaining their pavements. I look forwards to hearing back from you soon with a sensible solution to this matter.

Yours painfully

***UPDATE**

Great reply from Southwark Council on Twitter.

Southwark Council ‏@lb_southwark1m

@MichaelSnasdell Build up of bird droppings under railway bridges we usually jet wash once a week. TFL are responsible for the netting.

Oh damp!

Well just over a year after the bathroom was fitted by Apollo, some issues seem to have come to a head.
Now some of the issues are because of a pipe problem on the outside of the house. It overflowed and leaked soaking the brickwork, which has seeped through and eventually caused the internal wall to get damp, and for the paint to blister and now flake.
Based on the location of the damp on the walls, I am guessing that the toilet and hand basin at the very least will need to be removed to re-plaster and paint.
Not to mention that the external part of the wall will have to be removed and replaced with dry non crumbling brickwork. This was meant to be done at the same time as the pipe was replaced, but that didn't end up happening. Given that it was -5 outside and raining I kind of understood why.
However, it still needs sorting, so this afternoon I have a surveyor coming to see what he thinks needs doing, and what his plans will be to address it. Naturally as the timescale drags on, the damp just gets worse as does the damage. So fingers crossed there will be a plan coming from todays visit.
To add to all of this, there is also a problem with some pipes or at least condensation behind a paneled off part. The pipes come from one wall, are concealed by what I assume are MDF panels, then run under the bath to the taps. At the bottom of these panels, as it skirts along the floor, damp has started to appear also. I'm guessing this is either from a small leak in the pipe, causing the wood to get wet. Or a build up of condensation behind there because of there being no ventilation, and hot+cold water pipes in close proximity to each other. Either way as you can see from the picture, it looks hideous, and is clearly not right.
And finally, each morning I awake to a small puddle running from the tap end of the bath, under the hand basin, along to the toilet. This I believe is coming from behind the bath also, so heaven only knows what's going on under there, but whatever it is, its almost completely ruined the bathroom now, which is heartbreaking. Almost a complete re-do is required now.
With regards to the little puddle, and maybe the damp behind the panel... Have you even not quite turned a tap off properly, and heard that hissing sound, almost a small pressure release, and it allows the tap to just about drip... Well if you are really quiet in my bathroom that's what you can hear... Constantly! No taps are on, so I can only assume there is a failed joint in a pipe or a split which is causing all the damage.
Fingers crossed the plumber who visits will take a proper look and get what the hell I am talking about!