Manda

Agree, it's too dark! I feel like a mole when I go there..... also agree that ED is much, much quieter than it used to be, seems as though the buzz has gone.

I stopped going there after a Valentine's tea set me back ?28 for two teas and a couple of cakes.. it just seemed a bit frivolous. Vote with your feet eh?

I have to ask, what was he doing here? What's it all about.....?

Have to agree with Uncleglen. I think there are so many people cycling now (which is a good thing) that there should be a lessons and a road test and licence scheme. So many cyclists are often unwittingly dangerous (to themselves and others) and could do with some knowledge of the Highway Code and road safety training. Knowing how to signal clearly, deal with crappy drivers, create a buffer zone around yourself and respect pedestrians etc is vital because they are so vulnerable. I think if you are cycling on the pavement (unless you're just being an idiot) it's usually for genuine safety reasons, a horrible junction you want to avoid etc, and i can't really begrudge that, so the sensible thing is to get off and push or just coast at walking speed and STOP for pedestrians. It's not that hard. Teenagers speeding along Barry Rd pavement aren't the sort of cyclists I'm referring to here.

Wow, I can honestly say this has never bothered me. As long as people cycle slowly and give pedestrians right of way, I can't see the harm in it, surely it's more about being an arsehole, than cycling on the pavement per se. I worry for cyclists and sometimes I think they have to cycle on pavements to stay safe. Live and let live (a little).

Hello, Yes I can recommend Trinity. They're very good, transparent and professional. They used to be called Chainbow and then the two companies merged last year and so far they've been equally as good. Chainbow helped us to turn our building around, rescue it from a corrupt freeholder and enfranchise. Check them out and see what you think. http://www.trinityestates.com/ You could also check out the publication "News on The Block" as they hold a competition every year for best managing agent, I know that Chainbow won it for several years in a row.

best flower shop in ED by far! Very sad to hear this and sincere condolences to his family.

What I mean is, you can't make assumptions about what/who is causing the noise... and you aren't living beneath them so can't judge how much it is affecting the original poster. If we could all live in detached houses then there'd be no issues, but that isn't sustainable, so we do have to consider our neighbours. This from the Noise Abatement Society: The law in respect of noise states that no-one may cause a statutory noise nuisance, but there is no set volume, nature of noise, frequency of occurrence or time of day or night which automatically amounts to a statutory nuisance ? it is in the judgement of the Environmental Health Officer at your local authority, who are required to witness the noise to make their decision. They can witness the noise either by visiting your property when the noise is taking place, or by installing noise monitoring equipment to allow you to record the noise so they can make a judgement by listening to the resulting tapes. Different local authorities use different methods. Noise teams can be small, and inundated with complaints, so the first method for them to prioritise their resources is usually by asking for the completion of noise diaries to illustrate the extent to which the noise is affecting your life, with the added benefit that these diaries can show a pattern to the noise, so it can be easier to arrange for the Noise Patrol Officer to visit at a time when the noise is likely to be in evidence. Generally, the hours of night are given to be 11pm ? 7am, but this does not mean that any noise between these hours is automatically a statutory nuisance or that you can make as much noise as you like up until 11pm ? it is up to the Environmental Health Officer to decide by witnessing it. The police will not usually become involved in a noise problem, unless some other, criminal, activity is taking place ? it is just not within their remit. Lastly, in situations where neighbour relations have broken down, mediation can help. Mediation services vary widely amongst local authorities but you may want to consider this option. Community Accord have further information: http://www.communityaccord.com/type-neighbourhood.php and your could also try your local council.

Sue, I don't think anyone is suggesting that, read the posts again. Amanda

Hi, I've PM'd you too...

A shame if they have cut the service but as long as you phone it in and get a reference it stays on record. You should keep a diary of when it happens, add the Southwark reference to each instalment, state the time it started and duration, description of the noise and most importantly how it affected you/your family. The Safer Neighbourhood Team can give you a special booklet for this if you ask them or you can just write one. You can then apply to the court by serving a section 82 notice, it gives them a time-frame within which to cease the noise but if they breach it, you go to court. You don't need a solicitor, it's straightforward and designed for the lay-person. You do have to show evidence of it going on for more than 3 months though and affecting your home-life. Sadly more and more people are having to take this route, we did it and used the support of Noise Direct, paid them a one off fee and they were very helpful and reassuring. Obviously it has to be bad for you to want to take it this far. Helps to have neighbours testimony too. Moving is often the easier option, but what if you don't want to move or can't? It's sad that this is such a widespread problem really.

If they do it outside of a public holiday and after 11pm, call the noise team. They'll need to enter your home to assess the noise and if they deem it a nuisance, they will issue a warning and/or a noise abatement order on the spot. It falls under Section 82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Always best to try and talk to them first of course but if they respond negatively, you have other options. Noise late at night from a party is the easiest to deal with legislatively and Southwark Council do have the powers necessary to address this issue if it goes on. These organisations also very helpful if the council drag their feet or make excuses: http://noiseabatementsociety.com/ http://www.noisedirect.co.uk/ Hope it goes away by itself but if not, you have options.

But I also think CityJules has a point about car sharing. Isn't it the same as schools asking parents to car pool or drop off on foot? It's not wrong to ask people to think about excessive car use in a big city, where we have perfectly adequate public transport. London is a city yes, but it's overcrowded. So a little bit of common sense and civic awareness doesn't go amiss and keeps it pleasant for everyone. If you visit any area, you should respect the local residents, even from one street to the next. It's oversimplifying to say "they have a right" etc, we all have rights, we just have to find a way to balance them. I know the church on Carden Rd in Nunhead creates the exact same problems. They actually employ people to help the churchgoers park and it causes resentment among the residents of that road. It should be addressed. Maybe someone needs to start a "take the bus to church" campaign, or perhaps we need to start building churches with parking space in mind....

Hello, Just remembered this post and wondered if you had made any progress or of it had come to an end? It occurred to me that you should copy James Barber into any emails you send to the Anti social behavioural unit or the Noise Team or the Safer Neighbourhood Team. They won't ignore you if he is monitoring the response. I have lots of contact info so if it's still going on, PM me. Hate to think of anyone suffering in the way that we did.

I flew to Oz last year with a five month old baby and DrinkingBuddy is right... You also get to board the plane first If it's long haul, you get seats at the front of the aisle so they can attach a bassinet to the wall in front of you but you probably won't need this for Italy. You have to have a little seat-belt attachment for take-offs and landings but it's no bother My son wasn't weaned so like you I didn't have to bother with packing food. Breast or bottle feed him/her on take-off and landing as it prevents the build-up of pressure which can make his/her ears hurt They sleep a lot at this age so she/he may sleep through the entire thing Take a sling so you can move around the plane together when you need to, also useful for stop-overs and soothing him/her As long as they are with you, they are happy :-) Good luck

So sorry and sad to hear this Jamie, I know how much hard work and imagination you and Viv put into the pub and I've had some lovely times there. It's a great loss to the area, that's for sure. Always a pleasure and Jason and I will pop in before last orders if we can (little one permitting. I wish you the best of luck with the next chapter. Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year to you both Manda

Mabel, Please do not be discouraged by the rude Council employee, give him/her a time limit to come back to you and escalate the complaint if she/he does not. You have to keep saying you will escalate it, only then will he/she be forced to take it at all seriously and try and keep things in writing (email is best) even if they say " I don't do email" which is the experience I've had. They try to do the least they possibly can, it's terrible but just keep insisting. By the end of this week you will also know more about the entire policy and planning process than they will. Sad but true. Councillors will help. Manda

When I saw Alley Cat's original post, I immediately felt relieved that another person recognised these scooter gangs as an anti-social problem, because they are. Then I saw that in the period from Oct 2nd until I first noticed his post (Oct 13th) Alley Cat's thread had received 1,661 views and I thought, okay then, maybe more people see this as a problem, maybe something can be done about this? Then I saw Alley Cat's post of Oct 11th, detailing the rebuttal he'd received from the SNT (after waiting 10 days for a reply) and was dismayed but given my own experiences, not at all surprised. If what you go on to say in your response of Oct 14th is accurate Sgt Hurst, then you do have powers to deal with this, that's a very different response to the one Alleycat initially received when he first contacted the SNT. In answer to the point you made Sgt Hurst "On a final note. If we as the local SNT are not told about problems then we cannot do anything about them. Please let us know about any issues that are affecting your community." Clearly, we are telling you about problems, what I would like to know is, are you listening? Or does a complaint have to rack up a certain amount of interest on the forum before it gets treated seriously? I can't go into my personal story here as it's not yet over and involves third parties, some of whom could be left vulnerable by my actions, just as my family and I were after the ineffectual and incorrect intervention of the SNT and SASBU. Suffice to say, the situation worsened to the point that the traditional police were again forced to intervene and they went on to take the action they'd clearly recommended three months before. It's not over yet but their actions improved our lives overnight and it was a very simple measure to take. jimmyraj, I'm glad you got a positive outcome, the thought that anyone else should have to suffer the fate that we have is intolerable to me. Perhaps we've just been incredibly unlucky. Good luck with your complaint AlleyCat.

For some reason the Lane Safer Neighbourhood Team (for SE15) refuse to deal with any of the things that the East Dulwich SNT would willingly work to resolve... I had to make a serious complaint to the Borough Commander for Southwark this year detailing just how terrible The Lane SNT really are (they totally screwed us over). You're lucky they got back to you, they are well and truly useless and sometimes handle things so badly, they can make a situation worse. These gangs are a nuisance. They know they're pissing people off with those stupid exhausts but they don't care.

I'm looking to leave Virgin Media, we pay a lot and in two years have never got the broadband speed they promise. Also whenever my bb goes down (which is about every 3 months) I have to wait about 3-4 days for an engineer, who only fixes it for another three months worth of use. Trying to get them to admit that there is an enduring fault is hopeless and last time they offered me ?5 compensation, which felt more like an insult. I can't really recommend them on that basis. They also skin you alive on the 0845 / 0870 numbers, 50 p per min!

So many bins in my front garden this morning. Did they not think I would need to leave my home at some point? Maybe I can get out the window..... Just a thought but perhaps they should have discussed with me or any of the other tenants and find out what we actually need? We have our own composter and no one else in the building does the food waste thing or has a garden (I did write to them telling them this when they started the food waste pilot scheme). I'll be the one "on hold" to Southwark's Refuse Dept for much of today then. Wouldn't mind but I seem to have to do this every 6 months or so, why this obsession with plastic wheelie bins? Blue boxes were working fine.

I also hate the 12, had a horrendous journey a few years ago when me and two friends were traveling into Regent Street at about 9pm and were suddenly surrounded by a huge gang of teenagers who spent the entire journey from Rye Lane (where they got on) to Elephant and Castle (where they got off) making incendiary remarks and genuinely intimidating us, poured chocolate milkshake on my friend's coat etc to see if they'd get a reaction (they didn't). We were powerless to do anything and had sat right at the back of the bus so the driver was oblivious, not that he could/would have done anything anyway as there were about 20 of them and they were truly vile. We were so frightened and the journey went on for ever. Then as we got to E&C one of the boys (6 foot 17 year old) weirdly moved from my seat (where he had sat with his legs so wide that I had been squashed against the window) to sit down next to a young woman in front of me and i knew he was up to something. As the doors opened he thumped her across the chest with one fist and grabbed her Ipod with the other and ran off the bus with all his mates... she got up and gave chase but she couldn't really do much.. we tried to help her but they'd all scattered... I felt so awful for her. As I consequence I go to great lengths to avoid the 12 now... it's just that stretch from Rye Lane to Elephant and Castle... at certain times of the evening, it feels like a war zone.

Dogs shouldn't be allowed on that area of the park, I agree that there are many other areas where they can roam and that shouldn't be one of them, either on or off lead, I don't allow my dog to walk there, it's beautiful and needs protecting. I do see children on there at times, I think that's fine as long as they're not uprooting flowers etc.. kids like to look at the pretty flowers/colours. Re: Wardens, I think I've seen Mark or had a good morning from him... have put those details in my phone, thanks. Re: footballers, there's a well documented issue with footballers leaving litter, incl food waste after matches and the permit system has proven difficult to enforce (whereby we'd have a record of who was playing and how they left the pitch and changing rooms etc). The pissing thing I have been blissfully unaware of until now as I come in from the other side of the park but that sounds awful. Maybe there's more that can be done here? It's totally unacceptable.

Er once again. Sexby Garden is not a dog on lead area.. Change of topic but can we stop the footballers leaving all their rubbish behind after each game? The chicken bones are really dangerous for dogs...

It's not really that big a problem is it? Have a 7 year old Lhasa and control him when needed, he tends to avoid human contact when out anyway as he's wary of people he doesn't know. Sexby isn't a dog on lead area btw. Putting all the dogs on leads in the park won't cure you of a life-long fear of them.. I have a baby on the way and it'll be important to me that he learns to integrate with both domestic dogs and wild life in the park and respect them all. Dogs and humans have lived alongside each other symbiotically for many centuries and if you ever watched that episode of Horizon, our very evolution to this point has depended heavily on their assistance and companionship. The railings around kids play-parks aren't there just to keep dogs out... kids need enclosed and clearly defined play areas for all kinds of reasons. Blimey... with a few exceptions, I've always thought the dogs in PRP are a well-adjusted and impeccably looked after bunch, even before I had a dog. Loved dogs very rarely present a problem.