Furious with Southern Water currently trespassing in horses field!!

[volcy]

I am so mad I am actually shaking, I was in a bad mood at work anyway so the poor man that just answered the phone is regretting it!

The day before Christmas eve with all the rain we took the horses in leaving a large group of men in hivis jackets scratching their heads in the water pumping station next to our field only to come down the next morning to find a 12 inch solid pipe leading out their pumping station across our field and into the stream/drainage ditch and of course not anyone in sight.

I got on the phone to southern water asking who they had asked permission from before walking around our fields in the dark with the ponies, the line "do you actually own the field" was tried because unfortunately for them our farmer defers every call for network rail/electricity/phone masts etc to us so that didn't get them out of it and stating in no uncertain terms were they to contact me before taking the pipe out..

I have been phoned 3 times since to keep me up to date and each time they confirm that they will contact me prior to removing it, were right on a main road so main gates been closed properly is very very important, one horse is partially sited and two ponies are very smart the minute a connecting field gate is open we wanted someone there..

So why have I just had a call from my friend saying that as she went past in the car there were two men in our field removing the pipe and she thought I was going to let us know when they were coming back.

Unsurprisingly there is no record on file that its coming out today and the regional controller whoever that is has no idea so no doubt it will be done by the time someone has found out.. Still waiting for a call back!

It's amazing how fast I went through the call system with the words trespassing, police and compensation if so much as a hair on my horse is out of place..

Hope they've electrocuted themselves on the fence in the process! :giggle:

 

[Trewsers]

That's bang out of order!!!! I would be furious too.

 

[Wally]

Is your water supply affected if they don't do whatever it is they are doing, or will it affect someone else's water?

 

[Trewsers]

I find the utilities companies in general pretty disregardful of anybodies property. I have had several issues living here. BT dug my privately owned road up without even asking me. I don't have a BT line it was all for the benefit of my nasty neighbour!
I have also had issues with a certain energy provider too - thankfully we don't have gas or that would be another nail in the coffin.............I had to make it very clear that they had to ask my permission and I only found out that they were going to invade one of my fields by pure chance. I think that they should check properly before they go digging! It was of course probably my nasty neighbour who neglected to tell them the full truth but even so they ought to have sought correct and proper ownership / permission.
I find they have no regard for the countryside - it's like it's just a free for all. Okay, I'll stop ranting now..............
I would be so annoyed if I were you.

 

[volcy]

Is your water supply affected if they don't do whatever it is they are doing, or will it affect someone else's water?

It's the water supply to Brighton... but no, they needed a "waste event" over Christmas - basically the groundwater level in our valley was above their pumping equipment so they had to have the water coming out the borehole down our pipe to stop it damaging the equipment until it dropped low enough to start pumping and treating again, they turned the flow off ages ago and the pipe has just been sat there with a little dribble coming out for ages now, so when they did it didn't matter in fact one of the men who appears from time to time in the pumping station spoke to one of my friends last week and said they still didn't know when it was coming out but yes they would call us..

 

[MrA]

You should really get compensation of some sort or at least a letter/ email apology. How hard is it for someone to pick up the phone and give you a call!

 

[volcy]

I find the utilities companies in general pretty disregardful of anybodies property. I have had several issues living here. BT dug my privately owned road up without even asking me. I don't have a BT line it was all for the benefit of my nasty neighbour!
I have also had issues with a certain energy provider too - thankfully we don't have gas or that would be another nail in the coffin.............I had to make it very clear that they had to ask my permission and I only found out that they were going to invade one of my fields by pure chance. I think that they should check properly before they go digging! It was of course probably my nasty neighbour who neglected to tell them the full truth but even so they ought to have sought correct and proper ownership / permission.
I find they have no regard for the countryside - it's like it's just a free for all. Okay, I'll stop ranting now..............
I would be so annoyed if I were you.

Yes we have found this, with particular to phone companies who access their mast have no respect at all for grazing when doing circles round one end of our field... They do all seem to think if its a field its free access..

I get more frustrated because for work we are often on peoples land prior to a purchase by our clients and I am so so careful and always speak to people before and afterwards and really that is all this would have taken as they came in on foot which was one of our concerns.. One of their private sub contractors has mistakenly got involved and they are furious on my behalf too and has said the same thing as you that they have a complete disregard for others property - we worked out it wasn't his staff but he is taking it back to southern water on my behalf because he thinks that might help.