So we finally faced up to our responsibilities and phoned the local council about our hole problem (for previous post click here)
The council officer was not aware of the existence of a hole and massive big drain thing running under the allotments. She was also not overly concerned about the existence of said hole neither! Silly me, I should have predicted this response rather then imagining up massive diggers and a squad of unruly work men with massive work boots clomping about.
I proceeded to explain that this was a very dangerous situation, what with it being a hole leading into a massive deep drain tunnel. I explained local children do come into the allotments and generally poke about and make mischief – falling down the hole would not be good. But she pretty much said ‘do I look bothered’. However she did offer some wonderful professional advice – that we should ‘pop’ some potted tomato plants on top. NICE ONE.
So after we’d finished laughing and putting our socks back on, we made a list of all the positives of having this health and safety hazard:
- toilet facility – although we both advocate the use of urine as a compost activator – you know what they say about too much of a good thing….
- on-site security trap – anyone pinching veg in the dark will be in for a nasty surprise
- on site water supply – we could build some sort of well maybe..
- secret tool storage – we could suspend our tools on rope down the hole – no one would know that they’re there
You get the idea…
At the moment a pallet is covering the hole and we’re still mulling over ideas on how to make it safe and whether we should push the council a little bit harder. Any suggestions appreciated!
keener
