Cedars
Well-Known Member
Ok, bit of background. We're having an arena built on our land. It was always going to be a big undertaking because the land is really unflat (think 12ft down at one end, and 4ft up at the other to get it flat!!) and also we live down a small country lane. However, the planning permission went through without any problems, and the work started 2 weeks ago.
Since then, we've had alot of problems, mainly that the lorries delivering the stone couldn't get down the lane. Because of this we have had to put the stone piles at the top of the lane, but to one side so the lane isn't blocked. Not ideal but its fine and the highways agency is also fine with it.
Today, I had a text at uni saying that there was a digger in the road and I should run home and check the horses. So I leapt into the car, flew home and got there to find that the digger had slipped off the side of the bank and landed in the road, with the builder in it. It also took two trees with it and loads of fencing, half the bank and obviously everyone was quite shaken up. I got there just as they'd got the driver out, so I rang the non-emergency police number and asked for them to come and block the lane. They told us to put some cones out right at the top of the lane because it wouldnt be save to only block off part of the lane, so we did that.
Anyway, long story short, police didn't come for a long time and by the time they had come we'd freed the lorry and started clearing up most of the stuff. Only about 4 or 5 cars had come up or down the lane and had to turn around, but 3 people had rung the highways agency!! so they came to investigate (and told us not to worry). Anyway, so I'm stood watching the blokes carry on with what they're doing when a woman storms down the lane, already yelling.
She walks up to me, and goes, "DO YOU OWN THIS LAND?" And I said, no, but it is my in-laws land and its my yard. She said "I can't BELIEVE how RUDE and DISRESPECTFUL you've been, YOU'RE AWFUL NEIGHBOURS and I should REPORT YOU" I didn't ask to who....
She said "I've just had to move the cones that block the lane to get my car in, and my car has skidded on some mud". I said that the cones were blocking the road for a reason because it was unsafe and the police told us too, to which she said "I think its DISGUSTING that you can be so disrespectful, its not your place to decide to block the road" and I explained again that the police had told us too. Then she said "and as for that pile of stone thats blocking the entire entrance (yes, the entrance she'd just driven through...) I want that moved IMMEDIATELY its on my land and I should report you" (again, to who..) I said that firstly it wasn't her land, secondly the HA were fine with it and thirdly that it wasn't blocking the road and cars could easily get in and out. Then she screamed more general abuse about how she'd report us to the planning permission, if she'd known about it she'd never have allowed it to go ahead (the signs were up for the full 6 weeks) and how she hoped the school never worked and we wasted all our money and I was a disgusting person.
Then she stormed off up the road. Ok, perhaps we should have mentioned the stone to them but there are loads of people that use the road. Another bloke reported us on the weekend for there being a clump of mud in the road - he even measured it - 3cm by 5cm!!! We're such good neighbours, we never have loud parties or fireworks and we never ever normally make a mess, and my poor builders are trying their level best to keep everything as neat as possible, but one of them could have been really seriously hurt today and all she could do was yell about mud - when she'd gone through a road closure!!!!!!!!
Argh. Hug please. xxxx
Since then, we've had alot of problems, mainly that the lorries delivering the stone couldn't get down the lane. Because of this we have had to put the stone piles at the top of the lane, but to one side so the lane isn't blocked. Not ideal but its fine and the highways agency is also fine with it.
Today, I had a text at uni saying that there was a digger in the road and I should run home and check the horses. So I leapt into the car, flew home and got there to find that the digger had slipped off the side of the bank and landed in the road, with the builder in it. It also took two trees with it and loads of fencing, half the bank and obviously everyone was quite shaken up. I got there just as they'd got the driver out, so I rang the non-emergency police number and asked for them to come and block the lane. They told us to put some cones out right at the top of the lane because it wouldnt be save to only block off part of the lane, so we did that.
Anyway, long story short, police didn't come for a long time and by the time they had come we'd freed the lorry and started clearing up most of the stuff. Only about 4 or 5 cars had come up or down the lane and had to turn around, but 3 people had rung the highways agency!! so they came to investigate (and told us not to worry). Anyway, so I'm stood watching the blokes carry on with what they're doing when a woman storms down the lane, already yelling.
She walks up to me, and goes, "DO YOU OWN THIS LAND?" And I said, no, but it is my in-laws land and its my yard. She said "I can't BELIEVE how RUDE and DISRESPECTFUL you've been, YOU'RE AWFUL NEIGHBOURS and I should REPORT YOU" I didn't ask to who....
She said "I've just had to move the cones that block the lane to get my car in, and my car has skidded on some mud". I said that the cones were blocking the road for a reason because it was unsafe and the police told us too, to which she said "I think its DISGUSTING that you can be so disrespectful, its not your place to decide to block the road" and I explained again that the police had told us too. Then she said "and as for that pile of stone thats blocking the entire entrance (yes, the entrance she'd just driven through...) I want that moved IMMEDIATELY its on my land and I should report you" (again, to who..) I said that firstly it wasn't her land, secondly the HA were fine with it and thirdly that it wasn't blocking the road and cars could easily get in and out. Then she screamed more general abuse about how she'd report us to the planning permission, if she'd known about it she'd never have allowed it to go ahead (the signs were up for the full 6 weeks) and how she hoped the school never worked and we wasted all our money and I was a disgusting person.
Then she stormed off up the road. Ok, perhaps we should have mentioned the stone to them but there are loads of people that use the road. Another bloke reported us on the weekend for there being a clump of mud in the road - he even measured it - 3cm by 5cm!!! We're such good neighbours, we never have loud parties or fireworks and we never ever normally make a mess, and my poor builders are trying their level best to keep everything as neat as possible, but one of them could have been really seriously hurt today and all she could do was yell about mud - when she'd gone through a road closure!!!!!!!!
Argh. Hug please. xxxx
Big hugs and some choc coming your way to keep the red wine company!
