The Duck swimming in shit...

Well, just as I say nothing interesting is going on in town, something DOES happen, and I didn't even find out about it till after I blogged last night!

Just after I posted, I checked Facebook to see one of the kitchen hand had mentioned work was closed and he had the night off.  I didn't know if he was talking about the pub or not because I don't know if he only works at the pub, and thought I would here about it if it was shut.  Then I recalled a status from Milly she and Caz, the Chef, had the day off and were on the piss all day (yes, she is 7 months pregnant!). I replied to the other guys status if he meant the pub, as I was panicking, thinking Al had finally died (he's still in hospital, hasn't been good all week) and nobody had told me!  He replied back saying the pub had flooded.  What a relief to find out it wasn't Al.  I would be mortified if I found out he had died via Facebook.

I then went across the road to see Mac who would know what was going on.

On Wednesday night, when I was working, I went to change a barrel, and heard water trickling.  I thought someone had left the tap on, I could here the pump working to drain the water out of the cellar.  It wasn't the hose leaking.  I felt the walls and they were wet, as was the floor where the water was running down into the sump.  The pub was rammed, and I didn't have a chance to go upstairs and tell Sally water was somehow coming in through the walls.  She came downstairs at closing and I took her down into the cellar to show her.  By then, you could just hear a slight trickle, but couldn't figure out exactly where it was coming from.  She thought it was the pubs drains blocked above and that was what was causing it.  I left the pub, with her checking the drains outside, her son (who's moved back in to help running the pub with Al dying) was in the cellar.

Apparently, not longer after I left  a bit of the wall broke away and water just started pouring in. At Midnight they were ankle deep.  Sally called the drainers or whoever, some independant company, who turned up at 1am, and did what they could, draining the cellar, and charged her £500, but couldn't actually fix the problem.  They didn't get to bed till 5am, and were up at 7am to see what was happening as it was raining.  The cellar was flooded again, and stank, sewerage was even coming through.  They then rang the water company, who finally turned up at 1pm.  All the male staff stuck around taking buckets of water out of the cellar to try and stop it from causing much damage.  It wasn't just the cellar, Sally's house next door garden had also flooded.  So had the little steet with some businesses in them next door to that. 

The water company had discovered the main drains on the High street had blocked, causing the overflow.  They said they fixed it, pumped out the cellar, and Sally could finally open the pub.  She decided not to serve food in the evening, because the place still smelt of sewerage. 

Then it came pelting down about 4pm....and guess what...the cellar filled up again!  So the punters who had come in for a drink, were down in the cellar with the staff, trying to get the water out, but it was filling up faster then they could bail it out.  They closed and waited for the water company AGAIN!  They finally turned up about 8pm, and finished emptying the cellar and fixing the drains at about 11pm.

Poor Sally and her Son could finally rest, after only getting two hours sleep in the 24 hours, and not even eating till Caz turned up at about 10pm with a takeaway for them.

So I wasn't quite sure what state the pub would be in when I arrived at work this morning.  The cellar was slimy but at least dry. I asked her about compensation from the water company.  She said they would compensate by giving some free months of water and sewerage fees (she pays £300 a quarter) but only enough to pay for the damage of the cellar (the wall and replacement of the pump), but not for the £500 she paid for the call out fee of the independent company that first came out, because apparently she should have called them first.  Now Sally didn't know it was the main town drain that had blocked, she just thought it was the drain at the back of the pub which is just above the cellar! (as this had been blocked before)

I told her she should dispute this plus be compensated for loss of earnings for the pub being shut. At least give her a year of free service. 

So we are hoping the problem has definitely been fixed this time...but it hasn't rained (heavily) since last night...but the clouds are looming out there!!!!!