Flabbergasted

[Parker1970]

What an eventful evening thus far. At around 7pm my Carbon Monoxide alarms started going off. Boiler was checked just yesterday but I set about turning it off and the gas, only to hear my neighbours CM alarm was also going off. Turns out that the shop below who have had power problems since saturday have installed 2 petrol generators out the back, pumping fumes into our flats. They REFUSED to shut them off. My neigbours (2 adults, 2 young children and a 6 week old baby) called out the gas company and evacuated themselves from their flat. The gas company checked the levels and they were dangerous. They told the shop to shut the generators off. They REFUSED. The Police have arrived and forcibly shut them off. My alarms have gone off, but not my neighbours who were closer to the generator. It's freezing outside, even in the communal hall where they were waiting. So while we wait for their flat to clear, they are all holed up at mine, kids watching shrek, adults drinking wine. The Police have said if we hear the generators start up again we are to call them and they will be charged with Attempted Murder. One of the shop staff just asked if they can hook into my electric and pay me, they actually asked me that on Sunday and I agreed if they were paying, but by refusing to turn off the generator that was poisoning my flat and my neighbour who has two kids and a 6 week old baby... to say I told them to take a running jump would be putting it extremely mildly. Sorry for lack of paragraphs, but I am fuming (Pun intended).

[mosy]

Gosh, that's worse than awful, being despicable that a cause was identified yet not addressed immediately.

I'm just glad you're all safe, and hopefully warm now too, and presumably the monitors have reset themselves by now, just in case.

[Parker1970]

Gosh, that's worse than awful, being despicable that a cause was identified yet not addressed immediately.

I'm just glad you're all safe, and hopefully warm now too, and presumably the monitors have reset themselves by now, just in case.

Warm-ish. The gas people have had to shut off our gas. Because the alarms were activated, all gas equipment is considered unsafe until it has a safety inspection, even though the cause was found. Annoyingly, mine was safety checked YESTERDAY. Has to be done again. No heating or hot water until it's done.

Gas people are leaving my neighbours heaters for the children at least, they have been really great but just as stunned that the shop refused to turn off the dangerous generator.

Sufficed to say, I won't be shopping in there ever again, and after sainsbury opens across the road in a few weeks, I wont need to anyway.

[stuart]

Sufficed to say, I won't be shopping in there ever again, and after sainsbury opens across the road in a few weeks, I wont need to anyway.

Thanks for the clue. I was trying to work out who it was. Glad Sydenham DIY/Bookshop/Blue Mountain are now in the clear. Couldn't believe those good people would be difficult.

Best Wishes,
Stuart

[leenewham]

Seriously stupid and incredibly dangerous of them.

You were lucky Parker. Really lucky. They could have killed you and the family next door. The fact that they wouldn't turn them off is flabbergasting.

Just to show how serious this is in case anyone thinks it's an over reaction os is thinking of doing something similar, real articles about real people killed by petrol generators:

http://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/news/lo ... -1-6036810
http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update ... ing-guard/
http://press.hse.gov.uk/2014/security-c ... -failings/
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/may/ ... rmere-boat
http://www.banburyguardian.co.uk/news/l ... -1-6021612

Advice on their use here:
https://genpower.co.uk/safety-information/

[stuart]

Yes, carbon monoxide is really bad. My younger daughter was seriously affected when her student flat boiler was incompetently serviced. She is ok now but paranoia is your friend in these circumstances. Good work by the Gas & Police - and the detector!

Stuart

[Parker1970]

Thankfully carbon monoxide detectors are now legally required in rented accomodation, they were only fitted 4 months ago, had they not been there, I dread to think.

1130pm and my neighbours and children have been allowed back into their flat. Shrek, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo kept the kids entertained at least lol.

[Eagle]

Incredible and frightening.

I wish you well..

[blakewho]

Glad to hear you're safe. Looking forward to the new Sainsburys putting these people out of business.

[Nigel]

Hoping that some kind of prosecution follows but in the meantime we should all boycott that shop - must admit I've called in late for fags when caught out but never again - I will ask all local friends and neighbours to boycott them too .

They might have as well have pointed a pistol at your door with 1 chamber loaded - I really hope the police take further action and good to hear you are all safe.

A very good evening
Nigel

[Parker1970]

Hoping that some kind of prosecution follows but in the meantime we should all boycott that shop

They perhaps deserve a right-of-reply before any boycotting. Have they subsequently said why they were so adamant they wouldn't switch off the generator, or offered an apology, Parker?

*the local boycott of Tesco PLC was based on having first heard the right-of-reply of their spin dept and flogging myself to read their twitter posts.

No apology offered. They refused me, my neighbour who had her 2 children and a newborn baby with them and refused the gas emergency call out personnel. They only turned it off when threated with arrest for attempted murder by the police.

Originally they planned to have the power back by Thursday but its all on already, word has reached me that they have somehow hooked into the main line.. I have taken meter readings in case they have done what I hope they have not.

I dont expect people to boycott them on our behalf, I certainly won't be putting a penny in their till, no one that puts children and a newborn baby at risk (as well as adults) is going to profit from me.

[Eagle]

Yes whilst their action appears terrible they should be given a chance to explain

I suppose it makes a change for someone other than Israel to be boycotted.

[Parker1970]

One of my neighbours had to pay for someone to come out and declare his gas appliances safe (they cut us all off last night until safety checks were done even though the source was known, its a legal requirement if carbon monoxide is detected). It cost him £60 so he just spoke to the manager in the shop about being recompensed and they said it has nothing to do with them.

They clearly have no shame, no guilt...

[bensonby]

It might be worth suing the shop to be honest... It sounds horrendous.

[Nigel]

Personally i heard enough from Parker's OP. It's not heresay or 3rd party information . These people have behaved callously and recklessly and i for one will never set foot in their poxy shop again .
Parker's update merely confirmed what we all thought .
I wonder if they will feel a bit more responsible when they lose business.

A very good evening
Nigel

[marymck]

Originally they planned to have the power back by Thursday but its all on already, word has reached me that they have somehow hooked into the main line.. I have taken meter readings in case they have done what I hope they have not.

If this does prove to be the case ... theft of electricity is not only dangerous, it's a criminal offence. (It's one of the few things squatters can be done for.) A prosecution might require action by the electricity supplier or Ofgen though. I'm not sure how that works.

[Rachael]

Personally i heard enough from Parker's OP. It's not heresay or 3rd party information . These people have behaved callously and recklessly and i for one will never set foot in their poxy shop again .
Parker's update merely confirmed what we all thought .
I wonder if they will feel a bit more responsible when they lose business.

A very good evening
Nigel

Not sure a handful (or less) of people on this forum boycotting the shop will make much of a difference to their bottom line.

[bensonby]

Originally they planned to have the power back by Thursday but its all on already, word has reached me that they have somehow hooked into the main line.. I have taken meter readings in case they have done what I hope they have not.

If this does prove to be the case ... theft of electricity is not only dangerous, it's a criminal offence. (It's one of the few things squatters can be done for.) A prosecution might require action by the electricity supplier or Ofgen though. I'm not sure how that works.

No, it's most definitely a police matter. The police can get a warrant for the suspect premises and gain entry (normally with an engineer from the electricity company) and investigate. If they are abstracting electricity illegally (you can't "steal" electricity) the police will photograph the wiring, the engineers will disconnect it and provide a statement to the police. Those responsible can be arrested and charged.

[Parker1970]

Originally they planned to have the power back by Thursday but its all on already, word has reached me that they have somehow hooked into the main line.. I have taken meter readings in case they have done what I hope they have not.

If this does prove to be the case ... theft of electricity is not only dangerous, it's a criminal offence. (It's one of the few things squatters can be done for.) A prosecution might require action by the electricity supplier or Ofgen though. I'm not sure how that works.

I worked out my daily usage from my bill and over 12 hours it seems fine, so if they are stealing then they are not stealing mine. One of my other neighbours is checking his today. Hopefully they aren't doing it, that would be the better outcome.

[mosy]

I do feel that a touch of caution is needed here bearing in mind the shop is not on here giving their side.

It might be that they thought initially that if the problem manifested in flats above that it was nothing to do with their generator being someone's boiler or something. I assume the generator was to maintain stock in fridges and freezers (a huge concern for them) so you can't really blame them for not wanting to turn it off before some sort of confirmation that it was indeed the culprit. (Beyond that, I agree they don't have a leg to stand on.) Also, until there is evidence of misdeed in their current electrical usage, it is surely a hot potato. I completely understand Parker1970's reticence, their having lost his trust, but perhaps keep things in proportion?