News
Water advice ‘needs work’
A HOMEOWNER from Staple- hurst has taken his service provider to task for failing to offer accurate advice over the tele- phone. Mr Wareham (73), who had a
water meter fitted at his home in Goudhurst Road, says he made four calls to South EastWater ask- ing how he could turn the outside stopcock off in an emergency. He told the Downs Mail: “They
are lovely, helpful people but they hadn’t a clue about the meter or how to turn it off. They told me it was a white lever on the side of the meter but mine hasn’t got one.” The pensioner, whose home was
built in the 1800s, says call staff should be trained to offer the cor- rect advice. He said: “Otherwise, if I have a problem in the house, it will be flooded by the time anyone can tell me how to turn it off.” Eventually, an engineerwas sent
to find the stopcock – a small disc on the meter. Mr Wareham said: “The engineer accepted that it might need to be turned off if the stopcock inside failed.”
He says other neighbours were equally in the dark about how to turn off the supply in the street. Mr Wareham says: “The water
board should be in a position to offer clear advice to stop an emer- gency turning into a disaster.” South East Water’s metering manager Oluseyi Onifade said: “We are sorry if there has been a misunderstanding about how to turn the external stop tap off. “We always try to resolve cus-
tomer queries quickly the first time a customer calls us. In this instance an appointment was made for our technician to go to the customer’s home to check the stop tap was working correctly and show the customer how to operate it. “It is rare a customer would need
access to the external stop tap themselves, as turning the internal stop tap offwould normally be suf- ficient to halt the flow ofwater. “If there is a leak which needs
the external stop tap turned off, this would normally be carried out by a plumber or a South East Water technician.”
downsmail.co.uk Happy 111th birthday, Vera!
SUPERCENTENARIAN Vera Pigott fromSutton Valence is fast heading to- wards being the oldest person in Britain. Vera, 111, is the fifth eldest person in the UK, having celebrated her
latest birthday on July 8. She is just one year behind the
oldest – Bessie Cammfrom Rotherham, born on June 20, 1904. Vera, who lived in Langley prior
to moving into the Sutton Valence Care Home 10 years ago, celebrated her birthday with a party, enjoyed a buffet with her fellow residents and took part in a singalong to the sounds of local entertainer Rob T and his ukelele. The mother of four is visited
every day by her son Graham, from Dickens Close, Langley, who joined in the celebrations. Vera married her late husband Douglas in 1924 and was widowed in 1988. She is still not quite the oldest living person in Kent; that title belongs to Alice Ducat, from Hythe, who is 61 days older than Vera. The longest living person in the UK was CharlotteMarion Hughes, who died in March 1993 aged 115 years and 228 days.
Police investigate vehicle fire
POLICE are investigating a fire near an orchard near Maidstone, ac- cording to reports. The blaze happened in Forge Lane, East Farleigh, when a 4x4was torched which destroyed the car and spread to nearby apple bins.
Three fire engines and crews went to the scene at 9.45pm and spent an hour fighting the flames. Initially reported as a bonfire which had gone out of control, it is reported police are now looking into the cause of the blaze.
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