Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Maybe a little too efficient

To be fair, I have been impressed with Southwark Council and they way they respond to requests and queries but this seems a little too much.

On Monday (yes Bank Holiday Monday) I had been told that the excess rubbish crew would roll by my place annd collect a cupboard and a few boxes. They would be there between 8.30 am and 6.30 pm.

Fine thinks I, so early on Monday morning I start shifting the stuff to the pavement outside my house. At about 8.15 I have nearly finished and I am about to pin a note to it with the collection reference number.

As I get outside with the last armful of boxes I note that a youngish woman is pulling a box out of the pile.
"Don't take that one", says I "It's been water damaged, if you want a better box try this one".
"I don't want a box", says the lady with a noticeable mediterreanean accent, "I work for the Southwark Council environmental protection service".

"So hold on, you are collecting evidence of environmental crime?"
I explained that the rubbish collection was pre-booked and I had a reference number and so on. She went away, satisfied but clearly suspicious.

But it was only later that I thought about it.

How the hell did she get there? It was 8.15 on a bank holiday monday morning. What level of serviellance is going on here? Or did some helpful type phone and report my crime?

2 comments:

PJH said...

Could you not have let her waste her, and the EPS's, time before telling them they were in fact wasting it? i.e. after the other department had collected it.

Or just have told her to sod off and mind her own business.

Gawain Towler said...

True, it was early, I wasn't thinking

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