On 5 Apr 2017 at 11:00am Frank Landamore wrote:
I am writing to ask why Virgin Media is free to despoil Lewes without let or hindrance?
As part of the company’s £3bn investment to increase its reach from 13 million to 17 million homes in the UK, it is currently laying a fibre optic broadband network through the Transition Town of Lewes, part of the South Downs National Park.
This entails using slab-cutters to carve trenches through the pavements along many if not all roads in Lewes, removing the earth, laying the cables and refilling the trenches.
The problem is that acceptable working practices have not been imposed on Virgin Media and its contractors in order to minimise the post-work impact on the town.
Quite apart from the fact that many residents are not receiving prior warning of the date when work is to take place in their street, the after-effect is that the pavements and roads are left permanently stained by the mix of cement dust, earth and slab-cutter dust created and laid down by Virgin Media’s workmen, which they do not adequately clean up after the work is completed and which then hardens. Rain does not wash it off.
The upshot is that my street and its pavements, for instance – originally black tarmac – have been covered with a permanent pale grey scum. In addition, the trenches meander haphazardly along the pavements in an irregular black scar because no attempt has been made to use industrial measuring guides to dig neat square-sided trenches that run parallel to the kerbs.
The effect is awful, creating a permanent eyesore that not only despoils my street but will be imposed on all the streets in Lewes as Virgin Media’s work progresses (one has to assume it will also be replicated nationally).
The company’s response when I bought all this to its attention has been to deflect or ignore my queries, or answer questions I have not asked rather than the ones I have.
I urge all Lewes residents to protest to our member of parliament, Maria Caulfield MP, East Sussex County Council and the chief executive of Virgin Media ([email protected]) about this despoliation of our town and, by definition, our National Park, with a request that the work be suspended until appropriate working practices have been agreed to.
On 5 Apr 2017 at 11:10am webbo wrote:
Have you seen the state of the bottom end of Cliffe high Street, Surely Virgin couldn't make that any worse could they?
On 5 Apr 2017 at 12:24pm Earl wrote:
You're right Frank, the standard of work in the clean-up is very poor. The whole town is looking increasingly rough around the edges. The road markings are becoming very faint, due to lack of maintenance, there are potholes everywhere and railings are rusting. Instead of wasting money on the HS2, shouldn't we be concentrating on stopping the existing infrastructure from collapsing?
On 5 Apr 2017 at 12:49pm stevied wrote:
Up on the Nevill they came along with high powered hoses and cleaned the pavements when they'd finished - maybe they're too scared to do that in other parts of Transition Town Lewes in case somebody complains about that too!
On 5 Apr 2017 at 1:42pm Ed Can Do wrote:
In the grand scheme of things, 200mbs internet is of more use to me than uniformly coloured pavements, I hope Virgin get to Old Malling soon.
On 5 Apr 2017 at 1:42pm JillG wrote:
Webbo's right - can we get Virgin to run their cables through the E end of Cliffe High St, so that then we can press them (rather than the Council) to smooth out the unfeasibly-potholed road?
On 5 Apr 2017 at 3:46pm Red Ken wrote:
The original poster urges us to complain to Maria Caulfield. As if that would do any good! One might as well complain to a brick wall.
Like it or lump it I'm afraid.
On 5 Apr 2017 at 3:54pm Gutted wrote:
When all is said and done I'm sure all the shareholders are thankful for your patience and understanding whilst the work has taken place. Hurrah to the people of Lewes.
On 5 Apr 2017 at 6:41pm Cadge a Goo Goo wrote:
Why use the word despoil when spoil is sufficient? Virgin have neither robbed or violently taken anything
On 5 Apr 2017 at 8:21pm Old Malling wrote:
With you all the way Ed Can Do. Looking forward to seeing the disc cutter chopping through my pavement!
On 5 Apr 2017 at 8:54pm Paul wrote:
Virgin in Lewes - great - where can I sign up?
On 5 Apr 2017 at 9:33pm Cam wrote:
And the cables are not shared with another provider such as BT so we are sold to VM.
On 5 Apr 2017 at 9:39pm Mario wrote:
Count yourselves lucky it wasn't Nynex digging up the roads installing cable. They blew up a house in Worthing!
On 5 Apr 2017 at 10:57pm Tom Pain wrote:
Despoil the virgin and abuse the child, those dastard corporations will wreck this sceptred isle. Entertainment twenty four seven ,you won't even see it go.
On 5 Apr 2017 at 11:21pm Big boy wrote:
Ring the council
On 6 Apr 2017 at 7:56am Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
The reinstatement isn't just ugly, it isn't very effective, either.
One of the trenches dug across Highdown Road just before Christmas is already developing a pothole. I hope Virgin pay the costs of sorting out such problems, rather than the council tax payer.
On 6 Apr 2017 at 2:36pm gary wrote:
Virgin works have cut through phone cable in parts of landport . such a mess b.t are still there 3 day later sorting it out. And al so done the same in other parts of the town . Them we all have to put up with the mess they leave
On 6 Apr 2017 at 3:23pm Drastic wrote:
They seem to have made a right old mess of your spelling and grammar too, Gary.
On 6 Apr 2017 at 3:44pm gary wrote:
ok I was in a rush .
On 1 Jun 2017 at 7:32am So so ugly wrote:
The work they have done is so so ugly. I can't believe it is legal for them to ruin the pavements like this. I get angry every time I walk along my street now looking at the stupid zig zag lines. The work is so cheap and nasty.i bet they won't be using these useless contactors on necker island