Langley Mill Railway Sidings ... Epilogue

My Grumpy Old Man was a bit worried about me publishing this post - asking me if it was a good idea to admit that  ... 'yes it was me'. He may have a point, but I can't imagine they'd think for a minute that I wasn't among the small group of people who reported them to the council. I don't think I'm breaking any rules by writing about it and if I am - sue me for telling the truth ... 

Oh yeah, I'll just get a few rumours in first:

1. Potters on Cromford Road is being turned into flats and shops .. there is work being done in Potters at the moment, but myself and a fellow grumpy have searched for plans and can't find them anywhere at AVBC.
2. Langley Mill's Netto staff will be absorbed into Asda leaving Netto empty for the next McDonalds application.
3. I'm going to stop writing my blog and annoying people.
4. I'm going to get even more irritating as I get older.

Hmm, ok the last one isn't really a rumour and the one before it is a downright lie, but hey, I'm short of rumours.

.....

Right back to the real world:

Having had a chat recently with friends from over t'bridge, it gradually dawned on me that some people in Langley Mill may think the recent landscaping on the railway sidings is part of the improvements to Pottery Lane; which is generously being paid for by Asda.

Well let me disillusion them here and now. The work has been done because Amber Valley Borough Council had a little word with Asda and their buddies about dumping their demolition/construction waste there in the first place.

The moral of this story is ... If you're going to do something devious and underhand, then make sure you can't be seen by a crotchety, middle aged woman with a superzoom whizzo camera virtually glued to her sticky right mitt, and who - to misquote Stan from 'Dinner Ladies' - had got her dander up!

Yes, it was me who filled in the Enforcement Form at Amber Valley Borough Council. And I only hope it has cost enormous sums of money rectifying the unauthorised works.

Judging by the planning - lots of men discussing, pointing, and measuring etc, then how long it took to do it [a week] ... plus the equipment used ... a digger, two road-sweepers, a skip and at least ten - twelve lorries every day, all day ... and then all the replacement trees and bushes ... it did.

GOOD.

Therefore, if anyone out there sees anything happening that they're almost certain hasn't got planning permission, don't just sit back and think, 'Well it's too late now'. That's exactly what these developers are depending on, because they're not actually doing anything illegal [at this point].

Just get your typing finger out and fill in the Planning Enforcement Form on the council website [it's a lot easier than you think ... finding it is the hardest bit]. They will even do their best to make sure you remain anonymous.

... As I would have been if I wasn't so thoroughly annoyed by Asda, RG Group and Heanor Haulage destroying the only area of ecological value - by trying to get rid of their construction/demolition waste cheaply [I can't see any other logical reason for doing it] and incidentally, very dangerously because one lorry driver was positively certifiable - that I've written about it all ... oh at least half a dozen times [starting early last November], so anonymity has had to take a bit of back seat.

Admittedly things weren't plain sailing as the council was firstly fobbed off by Asda and their representatives with ... 'Oh yes, we've finished building Asda now, so we'll move that big heap of spoil [that is hiding the real damage] as soon as possible' [my interpretation from the email I received]. It was at this point that I nearly gave up, but then thought ... 'They can chuffing ar**hole if they think I am!' - This is where grumpydom is terrific, it gives you extra ooooomph!

So, while in high dudgeon I emailed the council again with photos - of which I have so very many - and further explanation of where the dodgy doings had been done.

By 17th December of last year I knew that Asda and their associates would be doing the remedial work which has now finally been completed [meant to be done in January but more realistically done in March]. There we are then, I've finally got that off my chest ... It's been simmering for weeks and weeks, old pot boiler that I am ...

Langley Mill Railway Sidings ... part 2

Any odd letters in the wrong place, please blame the cat. She shot across the keyboard [managing to hit the up arrow with every foot] as I was finishing Friday's bit, I've removed all I could find but I'm fed up of reading it now ...

Another exciting instalment of 'a week in the life of ...'

Monday from 6.48am:
It was just another routine day of noise. The huge clatter of the first scoop of muck dropped into each of the lorries, then the constant background noise of the digger rearranging the ever so slightly shrinking heaps ... we're beginning to wonder if it'll ever end.

.....

Tuesday 6.44am:
Yawn ... they're all turning up. 6.48am the digger starts ... he's becoming a right pain in the bum!

YAY! ... The bigger trees have arrived and are being planted. I decided to go and have a look at them, and whilst I was out in the dank, misty air I thought I might as well go the long way around [via Asda] to see how the petrol station is progressing - the lid is on, it shouldn't be too long before it opens - my grumpy old man went with me and of course I shoved my camera in my pocket.

We carried on along the front of the Acorn Centre, stopping off at one of the area's 5,000 odd charity shops [I like a bargain]. We then went up - the much drier and less puddly than when I was with the borrowed dog - Pottery Lane.

Where does the disgusting element of Langley Mill come from? Who breeds them? There's tat - including Netto rubbish - and dog crap [Ugh!] everywhere.

We finally arrived at mission control aka the portaloo by the gates onto the devastated railway sidings. There were two men chatting to the digger driver, one was the man overseeing the lorries - already questioned by grumpy - the other was a rg group man in charge of proceedings - also questioned by grumpy - [they were possibly all rg group].

'Hello' shouts my GOM. They shouted greetings back but the next bit got me totally wrong footed and all the questions I was going to ask were completely forgotten as my brain short circuited, fizzled out and I went into autopilot.

'Have you been filming me again today?' 'Am I on the Internet yet?' ...

This from the digger driver. I mean, I was incognito ... we went the long way around to get there ... I did my hair different! How the hell did he know who I was?

Of course I answered truthfully [bugger, I still can't lie even with the brain switched off] that yes I'd been filming him but he wasn't on the Internet yet, only the pillock on HH's back yard had reached there. My grumpy old man - bless him - shouted back 'Have a look on t'interweb at grumpy old woman Langley Mill'. I hissed at him to 'shurrup!'

We had a bit of a chat about what time they had to leave home to get there [4.55 one picks the other up] to be able to wake us before 7.00 every morning. Then the digger driver announced that:

1. He was going to phone his missus to tell her to have a look for him on the Internet.
2. He doesn't go shopping, not even got any teabags in [discussion on Asda proximity].
3. His mum cooks his dinners.

So here we have a married man with no food in the house who possibly lives with his mum [I may have been on autopilot but I still have an excellent memory for all kinds of flannel].

They told us that having already witnessed some tw***ish lads kicking the newly planted hedge, that they fully expected smashed digger windows when they arrived Monday. So apparently - yeah right - they were going to nip down with a box of chocolates on Friday so I'd keep my eye on it over the weekend.

Now before anyone thinks 'Ooooh, doesn't she think she's great? Expected to watch their equipment.' forget it, I'm well aware they were taking the wee wee. I'm just amazed they'd seen me and knew who I was, especially as this was the only time I went out while they were there ... so, not much point hiding behind a badger photo on my profile now is it? Except the badger is prettier [I'll say it before anyone else does].

.....

Wednesday ... later than normal [but not a lot]:
Oooooh, a big transporter has come for the digger. I spent ten minutes taking photos and waving good riddance to the noisy sod .... three minutes later it's backing up onto HH land in front of us ?????????????????

What's that doing there? No ... they wouldn't ... if he lowers his flaps it means he's dropping him back off! Down came the ramps *%*<^**!!

So now we have noise UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL!

Ooooooer, everything is shaking, the roller is well - rollering - straight across the road from us, I'm trying to work and I feel decidedly seasick!

Ahh, peace - at last ... but for how long? It looks like they've just made the HH land in front of us a bit less lumpy ready for some smelly tarmac to arrive. I will eventually upload photos and a little bit of film just for the digger driver - but I must, simply must get some work done ...

.....

Thursday:

Oh no! What's that now? ... Asphalt, surely they're not tarmacking HH today, I can't stand the smell  ... and there's no escape as one of us was so nosy that they've got behind with their work ... didn't we?

Oh phew, it's not stopped, I forgot that everything big that's working on the petrol station turns up on Asda's back yard - possibly to wind me up, but more than likely just to turn around out of the way of traffic ... who knows?

My GOM went to the Post Office and had a look at the petrol station progress. Criky they have got a move on. As well as the canopy being finished - including the signs that say '24 hour petrol' - the pumps were being fitted and of course, ahem, the tarmac was being laid. We've been told it opens Friday 25th March, completely self service, pay at the pump with no kiosk.

.....

Friday Afternoon:

Hmm, what are Heanor Haulage [yes, them that sold up and left to make way for Asda] up to now? Over the last few days they've gradually brought - as far as I can see by balancing precariously on the bedroom windowsill [not nosy at all] - a minimum of fourteen flat-beds, some double-deckered on top of one another.

15.33 - I've finished work now and can be as nosy as I like:
Four more flat-beds have just noisily announced their arrival on the back. I won't be at all surprised if they eventually migrate over to the railway sidings. I could of course be completely wrong again, an unfortunate habit I've developed lately ... or they could be doing major work at their new place over the weekend [normal practice for HH] - but we'll see ...

Another Peaceful Week?

Well we thought it was too good to last.

We're never really sure what Heanor Haulage are up to ... yes the same Heanor Haulage that, ahem, left Langley Mill for pastures new. The only thing we do know is they're bloody NOISY!!

Wednesday:
After stupidly mentioning to my grumpy old man that Heanor Haulage hadn't been here to annoy us so far this week [I need a zip for my mouth], they arrived to rearrange some crap. My GOM was told that this was so they could erect a new fence along the Pottery Lane side. Hmmm, so this is how you go on when you've left is it? Extending on one side and putting up new fencing on another.

RG Group has also been very much in evidence this week, some men in suits carrying folders and files, others were dressed for actual work. One gentleman took some photos of Asda's and HH's s**t heaps by the railway - a strange subject for photography, I thought I was the only one interested in the 3ft - 15ft high, hundreds of yards long [not in the mood to convert to metric] piles of rubble there.

Thursday:
A theodolite jobby appeared on top of the highest Asda/HH waste heap by the railway lines. Oh, do I keep repeating myself about the desolate wasteland created by ASDA and HEANOR HAULAGE? Well that's because it's still there and the trees plus any wildlife are still dead!

Friday:
Men arrived on HH's back yard and spent the entire day tweaking with a digger/shover whatsit, presumably to aid in the fence erecting. Another, newer, sprightlier JCB model was delivered in the morning and has been observed zipping from HH's back yard to the front. Meanwhile some RG Group men took down and moved HH's first fence you get to from Asda, The reason for this is - as yet - a mystery.

You may be able to tell that I'm in a bad mood, this is caused by the constant bleep-bloody-bleep of the newest toy, the many, many start-ups of the scrap metal being repaired on the back, the zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bang, bang, bang of the fence being cut/dug out on front, with every likelihood that worse is yet to come.

Ohhh, chuffing heck! It's 3.30pm and after twiddling and revving from very, very early they've got that heap of scrap moving on the back yard. Evveeerrytthing iiis ssshhakkingggg aandd mmee pppotss arre ratttliing!

Saturday 8.10am:
Rattle, rattle, clank - Oh bo***oks, what now?! ... Heanor Haulage's gates were being unlocked.

8.15am:
Bleep bleep bleep - site man still incapable of driving forwards even though there's absolutely nothing in the way.

8.18:
Bang, bang, bleep, bleep as a generator is forcibly removed from the shiny new toy, across the footpath at slurry corner.

8.23am:
Brrrm, brrrm,  whooooooooosh as the now much verbally abused [by at least my neighbour and I] man started cleaning slurry corner - that's it ... I'm UP!

Now it just so happens that I'm looking after my youngest sister's dog while they're on holiday, it's a dog I find easiest to describe as an extra piece of large furniture in every room as she always seems to be where I am. But having said that, having a dog is invaluable for nosiness.

There was much harnessing and saddling done and then I went for a walk with my hairy sideboard - armed with four mammoth sized poo-bags. Upon reaching the ramp I interrogated - in a nice way - the pillock who thought it was a good idea to annoy us.

Anyway, it turns out that the fence shifting was done to make sure a - presumably escaped and run amok - lamppost was on Asda land rather than HH's, I suggested that it was somewhat petty and trivial [I probably actually said 'that's a bit mardy' but it doesn't sound very professional], this was tacitly agreed with.

On my way back I told him it was a losing battle; cleaning slurry corner while ever HH were backward and forwards spreading their sludge. I also pointed out that before long someone would be killed on that stretch of footpath - there is a blind spot caused by the 9ft high fence - he agreed that it wasn't ideal and said that for safety the GATES SHOULD ALWAYS BE SHUT.

Shortly after this little chat, two skips arrived and much, much more noise was made as they were being filled with RG Group's left over crap from HH's land, during which I received an irate text from my neighbour who then went out to tell the aforementioned gentleman what she thought. He apologised and said he'd be as quick as possible and he very much wished that he was at home - we have that effect.

I must say he did a good job of clearing everywhere up, including the rubbish that had accumulated - courtesy of Asda's scummiest shoppers - under the bridge. But why oh why do they always make the LOUDEST noises at the weekends?

So, all that remains now; is for us to get through next week's Heanor Haulage fence erecting and we'll be back to peace and quiet - oh, hang on, was that a pig going past the bedroom window? Hmmm, no, I thought not ...

Peace And Quiet?

People keep saying ... 'Oooh, I bet it's lovely and quiet now Asda is done' or words in a similar vein ... IS IT BO****KS!!! And to prevent any poor bugger who asks me yet again from getting their head bitten off, I will explain what life is like now Asda has left us in peace.

There is the constant bleep-bloody-bleep of the bulldozer flattening trees and spreading Asda's excavated muck by the railway lines. There's the noise from two lorries whizzing [one much faster than the other, this driver must be a certified lunatic] across the FOOTPATH at the top of Bridge Street, around the back of our houses onto Heanor Haulage land to fetch the aforementioned muck. Plus the digger filling the lorries.

Then there's the resident roadsweeper ... up and down, up and down the back of Asda to stop the muck getting beyond Wesley Street. Unfortunately this roadsweeper doesn't clean the quagmire at the bottom of the ramp or the bit of footpath that the lorries are churning up. May I remind them here AGAIN!!!!! That it's a public footpath they're crossing at speed - not a construction site with attendant security/watchman on duty!

Oddly enough - and I don't know why, maybe a bit of a dispute or strike - but yesterday morning was peaceful until 10.56am. The four men were standing around with hands in pockets or poking about among the scrap. Even the roadsweeper sat idly with his engine running for three hours of inactivity, until a car came racing around the back and they all dashed to their respective vehicles, whereupon work started [damn] ... Oh how I relish those three hours of peace.

And now I've discovered why everything sounds extra noisy even with the bedroom window shut. This morning my curtains were billowing wildly plus the wind chime was jingling and I thought ...  'Well that's a bit odd'. Hmm, not as odd as you'd think, there's a crack in the wall all around the window where the weather and the noise is coming through and the wall has just crumbled near the sill.

The blackout blind had already been put up by the grumpy old man, but that's driving me potty because the bottom is rattling against the window frame in the breeze.

This crack in the wall must have happened when RG Group broke up the concrete in front of us - they didn't use a pneumatic drill to break this thick concrete, they hit it repeatedly with a digger scoop for over an hour [August 13th] until my fillings were rattling in my head and the cat went into hiding.

Oh chuffing heck! Bits of the bloody roof are dropping off now with the first real wind of the season ...

Trees? ... Please

Well, I waited and waited ... and waited with breath quite bated - ooh, I say, rhyming tripe - for the other trees to arrive across the road from us. There was a bare space at the back, room for lots of trees! Everywhere else had plants right up to the fence.

The gardeners were working further down the street - near our entrance to Asda - we noticed that the planting around there seemed a lot more dense [yes, this could have been an illusion caused by the angle I was observing from, but this is my diary and I'll moan if I want to], with nicer plants ... and more trees.

Wednesday morning:

7.15 - CRASH, CLATTER, RATTLE, RATTLE, flashing orange lights. 'What the chuffin heck are they doing now!?' ... Oh, my mistake, it wasn't RG Group on a mission to wake me up. It was the recycling lorry, which has been coming early since it could no longer get up the street at it's more normal we're-all-awake-and-I'll-just-dash-out-with-a-bit-more-recycling-if-you-don't-mind time. Bugger, I'm awake now, I may as well open the curtains and watch the trains and site workers arrive ... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

8.00 - I'm awake! I'm awake! Y-a-w-n, s-t-r-e-t-c-h, I really will open the curtains now. YIKES! Where's me nets when I need 'em? - actually I did try them back up but didn't like them. They're proper, heavy Nottingham lace and block out everything, which was fine when all we'd got for a view was a brick wall and a rusting mural on the side of the bridge steps - there were men, straight across from us taking down the temporary fence, I had to hide what was left of my dignity behind a curtain [yes, it is wide enough], somewhat sharpish.

8.20 - Knock at the door ... 'Can you move the cars please?' He meant, of course, the ones in our private car park the turning circle. I phoned one neighbour to tell her ... 'What, now? I'm not dressed, mutter, mutter...' The grumpy old man told our other neighbour - well, he told her son as she too was indisposed. They're an idle lot up here when the kids are off school ... I'm going to suffer for that comment aren't I neighbour?

Whilst the GOM was down the street after moving the car, he decided to ask the gardeners about our trees - or lack of ... 'Have you forgotten the trees at the top of the street?'
'There are no more trees'
'Are you sure? There's only a little one and we think there should be more, especially as they chopped a big one down from near there. That should really be replaced' [I have the evidence of this tree murder].

Upon grumpy's return I text my neighbour and relayed this latest annoyance, she was still outside having just moved her car so she asked the foreman - who was standing in the wrong place at just the wrong time - 'But there's space left for more trees ... leave it with me'. was his reply.

A little later, the bark arrived, don't they normally put that down after the planting? ... I wasn't to worry, I need to be more patient [I don't do patient, I'm getting old you know!!]. We were assured that the trees were coming but the bark had arrived and needed shifting straight away. OK, I'll wait ... and wait ... and wait.

Oh bugger this, I'm going across to plant my slightly dead Christmas tree and very much alive cherry tree if they don't bring us more trees soon. I'm also willing to go on a mission to dig up a couple of silver birches from nearby - seeing as they've already crushed countless trees with their big heaps next to the railway lines.

Thursday morning:

9.15 I SEE TREES!! Well, two more anyway. There is still a huge empty space at the back - hmm, I suppose it's somewhere for all the cats to have a wee. But, ho, hum, if it's not planted soon it may end up accommodating some unexpected flora ...

And So It Continues

RG Group say they're putting Bridge Street back to it's full width this week which will seem very odd after seven months, and they'll be removing the 'turning circle/private car park'.

They've been working constantly on the white box that is Langley Mill's Asda and its surroundings for what now seems like forever, including doing the smelly tarmacking today - Sunday! I can only assume this is RG Group's version of working on Bridge Street during 'off-peak' hours as they said they'd be doing in one of their letters. They also regard delivering concrete at 8.00am on a week day as 'off-peak' - how strange.

Really, the noise and disruption plus a total disregard for safety at times to Bridge Street residents has been horrendous just lately, I only hope it'll be worth it in the end because some of us are starting to get very fraught and close to the edge.

RG Group, in my opinion started quite well in the beginning when I gave them 'gold star' status because they really tried to be as considerate as possible - then they slipped progressively down my scale of excellence, passing through:

1. Noisy gits.
2. Pains in the arse.
3. Ignorant sods.

They now seem to be giving the impression that they'll soon be going so who cares. And where are our greenery and trees? They haven't arrived yet!!

Now ahem, we've heard a rumour that if you complain about the noise and muck etc. you'll be given vouchers to get your car cleaned. But it hardly seems fair that we should have to complain to receive anything from Asda or RG Group after all this constant disruption to our lives. Cleaning our windows a few times so we can see better what they're doing really isn't really much of a compensation even if I am nosy, now is it?

And seeing as I'm the shy retiring type who doesn't like to moan about anything [cough, splutter], I can't really see us complaining, can you? Even though they put the grumpy old man and myself through absolute hell when it was so earth shatteringly noisy and shaky they scared our cat into hiding where she was trapped for five days. Then we weren't allowed to look for her even though she was only a stone's throw away, resulting in me being forever branded a trespasser [oh yes, I'm a proper rebel I am].

Hmm, now where is that pile of letters with their phone number ...

Back Home To Large Piles and Big Jams

Well, we've had mountains on the front and now we have hillocks on the back. It seems that RG Group are yet again rearranging piles of earth and now stashing them behind us - which means that as well as construction noise on the front, there's 'let's unload this and shove it here' noise [from before 7.30am] on the back, it's relentless - bleep-bloody-bleep - it's as bad [if not worse] as when H-effin-H and their pain-in-the-arse buddies were here!

So, as a complete change from living in the middle of a scrap yard, we now live in the middle of a building site whinge, whinge, moan.

They've now put the sides on the Asda building, it's not what you'd call pretty - yet, and my view of the back end of Netto has gone, I'm really, really sad about that - not. But, oh boo hoo, there's hardly any trees to be seen.

We went shopping to Eastwood on Saturday and when we came back were astonished to see the queue of cars trying to get onto the bypass. The queue extended as far as I could see down Upper Dunstead Road [as we flashed past at 30mph]. I have to wonder if people had been made aware that anything van sized or less could get out of the bottom of Cromford Road [turning left] all weekend. We noticed that there wasn't much traffic coming our way so can only assume that it was either a brand new idea or a big secret.

Having since been that way around whilst visiting friends, the fact that Cromford Road was open had obviously been Langley Mill's best kept secret - or a mistake - as the signs still stated that Cromford Road was only open at peak times of 5.30pm - 9.30am - and the road was indeed closed again this morning. Tut, still a case of nobody telling anybody else what's going on - and I can't be relied upon to relay information because ... well, I'm unreliable at the best of times ...

Langley Mill's Traffic Management Improvements - Thanks To Our Wonderful COUNCIL

And if you believe that title you'll believe anything.

There was a moderate improvement this morning, people were able to get out from the bottom of Cromford Road, round the lights at KFC/Lidl and back through Langley Mill, rather than having to add to the queue at Lower Dunstead Road [info courtesy of my neighbour, who also makes all the phone calls].

Things were also quieter getting onto the bypass from Aldercar [info courtesy of June]. Let's hope this continues. As she also says, people were probably leaving home earlier so journeys were staggered rather than everyone bogging down the crappy diversion system at the same time. This could have been done from day one if people had been properly made aware.

The council really were not interested in sorting out this mess, Langley Mill has always been regarded with an 'Oh it's only Langley Mill, it doesn't matter' attitude by the council, probably down to our industrial past and our Nottinghamshire postcode - I'm all for dragging the border back a bit and jumping counties.

It's only down to RG Group's construction manager that any improvements have been made at all - and these concessions were grudgingly given.

Trent Barton - the information on your website is still back to front as to which way is straight through Langley Mill.

I really must do some work now or I won't be able to afford to pay my council tax ...

Update on Langley Mill's 'Minimal Delays'

Right, first of all:

It's no use blaming Asda or RG Group for the traffic chaos in and around Langley Mill, although you're free to do so if you like, but it seems their hands are tied by 'them what know better' - Highways Agency or Derbyshire County Council, as the work is their responsibility [or so I've read].

Apparently there may be a couple of concessions made regards the end of Cromford Road being opened at peak times - I only say 'may'.

Things should be improved at the bottom of Dunstead Road regards parked cars causing an obstruction, cones have been placed and the owners offered alternative parking.

Other than that, things remain the same mess ... Remember Eastwood to Heanor - direct route, Heanor to Eastwood - interesting detour. Cromford Road etc - hard luck - no bus - no escape - start digging a tunnel.

I was peeved about my lack of residents newsletter, I know they often arrive dated the day after the job commences but this was a biggy for everyone concerned. Apologies have been made and accepted so we're happy again. Just as long as we get our newsletter at the top of the street first next time - and printed on watermarked paper with gilt edging.

You know, I think it's time I stuck to my day job and left this to someone else - someone who is paid to know what they're talking about. Rather than little old me - a lovely, sweet, grumpy lady ... All right, own up - who just called me 'a nosy old bag' ? ...

Gridlock In Langley Mill

'Slight' and 'Minimal' impact on journey time - my arse!

Langley Mill has now been brought to a standstill ...

From what I understand - I may be wrong, it did happen once before - hmm, oh, years ago now - DERBYSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL took the decision to use the current method of traffic management through Langley Mill against advice after the traffic surveys were done.

I've heard reports of people taking an hour and half round trip to get children to school. North, Ebenezer and Thompson Streets were being used as shortcuts because of the gridlock at the bottom of Lower Dunstead Road, but this has now been stopped.

3/4 hour trip from Eastwood to Heanor - supposedly straight through, 20 minutes from half way up Mansfield Road to Lower Dunstead Road. Not good is it councillors, I do hope you weren't passing through Langley Mill on your way anywhere.

Did anyone at any point in this crass TM decision making consider the emergency services and how they'd get through Langley Mill? Flashing lights and sirens are next to useless in a gridlock.

I've just found out ASDA and RG GROUP, that whatever idle sod you sent with the residents newsletters the other day to tell us about the roadworks - and no way out of Cromford Road onto Station Road - only got as far as 32 Bridge Street and didn't bother with us from 34-72.

So far, I've given nothing but praise for how well you've kept us informed on each phase of the works being undertaken, but this is clearly NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!

From what I've been told now, the council and RG Group are having a meeting to sort the chaos out. Why oh why don't you just let someone with some sense do it - like a woman?

Watch this space ...

Early Morning Noise

Yes, I do mean my early and probably not the majority of the population's view of early but this is my grumpy blog.

I really do not need to be awake at 7.00am! I am well into in my pre-dotage years and so have finished with the jobs that require me to be up at the crack of dawn [and earlier]. I now go to bed very late - just because I can - and expect to wake up equally as late [some hope] ... And no, I don't care how early RG Group and their associates had to get up to be here to make all this noise ... moan, whinge.

So, RG Group - with this daily early morning beep-bloody-reversing-beep of stuff being fork-lifted off of lorries under my bedroom window [reminiscent of Pall-Ex].

And bang-clatter-rattle-rattle of large equipment being deposited [in a very Heanor Haulage type of way] in a similar nearby position - you have now lost your previously 'infinitely superior gold star' standing and plummeted to 'noisy gits' status

Please rectify this thoughtlessness for my grumpydom ASAP or I'll probably have another little early morning 'moment', where I'll be found shouting loud but polite abuse through my bedroom window - note to self - must wear big pyjamas just in case ... Hmm, maybe not. If they wake me early again then they deserve to suffer ...

Noisy Gits!

BUMP ...BUMP ... BUMP on and on and on ...

The Asda building site - you probably assume I'm moaning about - not a bit of it, it's 'them noisy buggers t'over railway lines' on Bourne Drive [off North Street]. They're on their second phase of building and don't we all know about it. Even the grumpy old man is moaning about the noise and he's somewhat deaf.

Obviously it must be some cheap tin-pot construction company building over there ... rather than the infinitely superior - considerate to residents - RG Group who are building Asda ... hmm, don't get too comfy and complacent with this positively glowing reference, it is subject to change at any moment ...