Steam Cleaning in the early hours
I'm back and I saw something very strange this evening.
Walking past Woolworths late last night I noticed a team of men steam cleaning the pavement, between Ansell Road and Mill Lane. At first I thought there was a fire as the steam generated went right across the High Street.
Walking back in the early hours of the morning (a whole 2 hours later) they were still at work on exactly the same bit of pavement. They hadn't moved an inch. This photo was taken with a mobile phone at about 1.15 am. It is obviously more than normal street cleaning taking place.
A few weeks ago there was a van was parked there which belonged to an asbestos removal company working in the unit above what was previously Age of Elegance. I wondered if it was related to that.
posted by The Cockerel @ 1:45 AM
10 Comments:
I saw something very much like this going on in Portsmouth recently. When I asked, the guys told me it was chewing gum removal and very effective it was too.
I doubt they would use such methods to remove traces of asbestos as it would only spread the stuff over a wider area and the guys would be dressed up like spacemen. It could of course be connected with the Highways Department's latest scheme to ease the flow of traffic around Pump Corner.
I saw the same guys near Dominos coming back from the pub. They are indeed cleaning the pavements of all the 'grime' that has accumulated over the years. They are cleaning the pavements to get rid of chewing gum. I was speaking to the men and mentioned to them that the pavements do look a great deal better after the steam cleaning. It must be incredibly frustrating job to do, as it takes so long to a small section of the pavement and sadly, when all their hard work is done the chewing gum yobs are back the following day spitting it back on the pavement!
Anyway, I phoned the Council to say that this time of thing was long overdue. Apparently, this type of thing is going to be done on alternate years from now on. Next year will be Leatherhead's turn and Dorking's will be the year after next. I also congratulated them on using their initiative by spending some of our council tax money to clean the pavements as they were really in a dire state. So, if you agree with me, give the General Services Dept. a call at Mole Valley District Council, to show your appreciation.
WELCOME BACK Cockerel - I, for one, certainly missed your news and views.
What a waste of time and money!! It is high time that the council invested more in youth facilities rather than employing a short term fixs like steam cleaning the pavements and getting outside contractors to remove graffiti etc. As for the phoning the council to congratulate them, you must be having a larf..We need youth cafes, skate parks, places to hang in. At the mo' Dorking is crap for anyone under the age of sixteen. There are simply no faclilites and the council keeps on wasting money by employing hundreds of people to do sweet fa in Pippbrook. What will they think of next??? Maybe they will put a cockerel on the roundabout - sorry, they have already done that!
Phat Pete'
On a side note, noticed in tonight's Evening Standard, that a London-based billionaire who feared he was about to be murdered has been found dead at his Surrey home.
Badri Patarkatsisvili, 52, who made his £6billion fortune in his native Georgia, said recently of his political enemies: "I believe they want to kill me".
Mr Patarkatsishvili was found dead at his £10million home called Norbury Park near Leatherhead at about 11pm last night of a suspected heart attack. Surrey police are investigating and are treating his death as suspicious.
Excuse if I am wrong, but Mole Valley has been in the news a lot for all the wrong reasons. There was a murder in Ashtead just before Christmas. There still have been no charges with regards to this case. There was an attempted murder outside The Cricketers a few weeks ago in Dorking. Also, there was the attempted murder of Abigail Witchells in Bookham, a few years ago. Who says, that Mole Valley is the safest place to live in the safest county in England?? It is high time for the Surrey police, to get out of their police stations and start pounding the beat to reassure the residents of Mole Valley.
About the street cleaning, then that would explain it. Discarded chewing gum is a problem in every town.
Thanks
It is ironic that Mole Valley was named as one of the safest places to live then indeed a number of incidents have brought it headline news for all the wrong reasons.
I have long felt that the district does sit on the edge of suburban London and this threat and all that comes with it is going to increase more now than ever before.
Looks like the anonyomous poster above jumped the gun on the billionaire's death in Leatherhead. The police are no longer regarding it as suspicious and it appears that he just died of natural causes.
As for the crime debate in Mole Valley, it does appear that the area is no longer as safe as it once was. Saying that, we are in very close proximity to London, the dreaded M25, A3 etc. Dorking is only twenty eight miles from the big smoke and, even the public transport have much improved over the years. Yes, there have been some unfortunate incidents over the years in the area. The police are doing their utmost to protect and serve the community. We must all pull together and if we see something suspicious, then call the police to report the incident. I am a firm believer of zero tolerance. If it worked in New York surely, it could work in London, Guildford, Dorking etc.
As for the cleaning of the pavements in Dorking, it is an excellent idea and it certainly makes a huge difference. Well done MVDC.
Annie
The pavements look fabulous. Typical, there is always someone to complain about the steam cleaning of the High Street. It is money worth spending. The state of the pavements have been in very poor shape for a very long time. Sadly, all it takes is a dropped kebab, some chewing gum and a dropped can of coke and the High Street, will be back to the way it was! Just wondering, if the 'steam cleaning' scheme is going to extend down to South Street and West Street?? Also, has anyone noticed a huge increase in the number of fag ends that litter the town centre from end to end. It would be nice if the businesses (especially the pubs!) would get their staff to go out and pick up the dog ends on a regular basis.
DORKING Dan
The picking up of the cigarette ends is entirely down to Mole Valley DC. Why should the pubs, restaurants, retail businesses, offices etc. employ people to pick up ciggy ends, when they pay large business rates on an annual basis???
It's about time there was a blitz on chewing gum removal in Dorking. I was amazed when I was walking through the town recently with my sisters and they pointed out the chewing gum to me - it was literally everywhere. Phat Pete' is probably right that it is a short term fix, but welcome nonetheless.
Dorking Chick.
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