Mark Grieves (@plymouthgas) worked all night last Thursday to clear a flooded subway near a primary school.
Parents and children heading to Weston Mill Primary School in Plymouth had been unable to use the underpass during school runs and the council hadn’t sorted it out, so Mark volunteered his time for free, working for over 12 hours to clear the path.
“I saw a post from one of my friends on Facebook that the subway near the local primary school had been flooded and stagnant for a week,” Mark explained. “So I went down to take a look.
“I thought, ‘I could do that’ but the council had said someone was coming to look at it that day, so I thought I’d hold off.
“This was on Thursday, but by half six that evening, they still hadn’t been down, so I decided to crack on myself, as I couldn’t think of a reason why not too.
“The problem was, if it wasn’t done by them at the end of the day, Thursday, it probably wouldn’t have been done until the next Monday at the earliest, following site visits, risk assessments and method statements, on the Friday. What would have happened if it rained again?
“I had the equipment in the van, so I just got on with it. I have a small submersible pump that I’ve used for 12 years and it did the job, even if it wasn’t as quick as I would have liked.”
Continues below:
So, I did this, last night!
Blocked drains and flooded subway.
Only safe access to a primary school!@plymouthcc pic.twitter.com/4xTkaCaRp3— Plymouth Gas (@Plymouthgas) March 10, 2017
Working all night
Draining approximately 36,480 litres of water, by volume, is always going to take a fair amount of time, but it wasn’t a straightforward job. Mark even asked for a bit of help, and got turned down.
“One end was eight inches deep, the other was four inches, and the water wasn’t draining away,” Mark said. “By 10:30pm I’d drained a fair bit at one end, but the water was coming back in because of the retaining walls, so I knew it would take longer than I first thought.
“Above the subway there’s a fire station, so I asked if I could use one of their big pumps. They said I couldn’t because it wasn’t an emergency and they didn’t want to get their pumps dirty, which annoyed me a bit.
“By 1:00am I’d done one end but that was no good because people still wouldn’t have been able to use the underpass. If I’d stopped then it would have been a waste of time.
“At the other end there was a two square foot metal grid that was full of rubbish and mud. So while I was draining the water with the pump, pumping 6 meters to the road above, I was also scooping water into wheelie bins and dragging them up a 30 meter path to get rid of it quicker. I was knackered.
“But by 7:00am that morning it was all clear and ready for the school run.”
. @plymouthcc Because you couldn't get it together yesterday, or the last week, I did this for you last night! UoMe! pic.twitter.com/ktLwFK52VG
— Plymouth Gas (@Plymouthgas) March 10, 2017
Above and beyond
At Installer we often hear about plumbers and heating engineers going above-and-beyond for their customers, even when it sometimes seems like the world is against small businesses. So why did Mark give up his whole night and work for free to clear the subway?
“I’ve worked with the council before and I know how they operate,” Mark explained. “It’s too bureaucratic and it would have taken ages to clear the subway. It needed a common sense approach so I just did it.
“If I didn’t do it, nobody would have, and it’s a nasty road that the kids were having to cross on their way to school. Plus it keeps the city moving. If I’d charged the council, it would have cost a fair bit.
“All too often small businesses, one man bands, sole traders and the self employed are overlooked, but they are actually more the back bone and best placed to understand the community and how it functions.”
