Bexleyheath resident kicking up a stink over sewage workers napping in the day and keeping her up at night (From News Shopper)

Bexleyheath resident kicking up a stink over sewage workers napping in the day and keeping her up at night

10:02am Friday 22nd March 2013 in News By Tim MacFarlan, Bexley and north Kent reporter

SEWAGE workers in a Bexleyheath street have been caught napping during the day while keeping residents awake until the early hours, a resident claims.

Sue Hashim has snapped contractors for Thames Water asleep in their cabs while she says the same workers are keeping her up until 3am sucking sewage and repairing blocked pipes in Belvedere Road.

The 42-year-old claims workers joked they get paid "triple time" for working at night during sets of repairs in July last year lasting six weeks, a week-long dig in January and ongoing works which began on March 15.

The dog hotel owner says she has been "driven mad" by workers talking and joking and the noise of work being done on a 15ft by 15ft hole in the road right outside her home, which has sounded "like breaking a window it’s that loud".

She said: "I am just fed up because I have got a lot of things to do in the day and I’m literally not getting up until nine or 10 as I’m so tired because I’m not getting to sleep until about two or three in the morning.

"The noise has driven me mad and it’s quite depressing to be honest."

On one occasion, Ms Hashim says she saw a young boy who looked like one of the contractor’s sons spending time with his Dad onsite while work was going on.

She added "It’s not their fault and they are alright blokes but one guy we spoke to was very proud of the fact they were getting this ridiculous money.

"You look out there sometimes and they aren't doing anything."

Work continues at 11.30pm on March 19. 

Thames Water response

A spokeswoman for Thames Water said: "We're really sorry for the disruption caused by the essential work we are doing on the sewer under the ground in Belvedere Road.

"This has been causing problems for a number of months and we are having to use tankers to protect a property from the very real risk of sewer flooding.

"Our investigations are ongoing and we are doing more CCTV surveys next week to determine exactly what repairs need to be done but each time the sewer blocks, we are having to use tankers to remove the flows to prevent flooding.

"We categorically reject any claim that our contractors are doing this at night to make more money, or that they are sleeping on the job.

"The picture shows a driver who was on stand-by taking a break, and the contract is based on a flat-rate regardless.

"Our engineers are working as hard as they can to get this job sorted as quickly as possible and we are trying to work with minimal disruption to customers.

"Sewer flooding is an utterly horrendous experience which is exactly why we are trying to prevent this happening."