12 Oct 2023
Homeowners face three weeks of disruption caused by emergency works to repair a collapsed sewer pipe – and must find alternative car parking for the duration.
Two houses in London Road – between Cunningham Avenue and Cunningham Hill Road – were suddenly greeted by the sight of waterworks contractors setting up outside their driveways.
The Thames Water team turned up on Tuesday morning, coned off a section of the road, and then installed temporary traffic lights and digging equipment.
Residents in 121 and 123 London Road found their properties blocked in by barricades, with only a narrow stretch of pavement providing access to the road.
One of the homeowners, Deborah Speak, said: “A letter was hand-delivered at 9.45pm on Tuesday night telling us that we would have to find somewhere else to park for three weeks.
“There had been no notification that the works were taking place – surely we should be made aware weeks in advance? It’s been really poor communication.
“All of the adjoining streets are permit-parking only, and we’re not entitled to temporary parking permits because we’ve got driveways. Even if I can manage to get my car out of the drive and onto the road the traffic management in place makes it really dangerous to pull out.”
The letter from Thames Water was dated October 9 but delivered the following night. It stated: “We are going to be carrying out some essential works to the sewer on London Road… We’ll be starting on Tuesday 10th October with the aim to have everything back to the way we found it by Monday 30th October. If we think the works will take longer we’ll be sure to let you know…
“Due to the location of the excavation and the traffic management set up required we will be blocking/restricting access to some driveways… We politely ask that you remove any vehicles that you’ll need to use.”
Thames Water’s press office explained why there had been no pre-warning of the works taking place.
A spokesperson said: “We’re carrying out an urgent repair to a collapsed sewer pipe on London Road and we’ve been mitigating the risk of flooding from the pipe by using tankers.
“We’re sorry to residents who have been affected and to the residents whose driveways have been blocked by this urgent work. We expect to be completed by Monday 30 October and we have two-way traffic lights in place during this time, so we can complete the repair safely.
“We hand delivered letters warning of this essential repair and how it would affect access the day before we commenced however due to the urgency of these works we were unable to give residents any further notice as we were required to attend as soon as possible.”
The St Albans Times has contacted SADC to see if there is anything that can be done to help with alternative parking arrangements.
