froggy

Too right. Hillcourt Road a prime example, sadly!

Firstly, the fact that your meter is underground doesn't mean it isn't "smart". If it was recently installed it is likely that it is connected. You can see your half-hourly meter reads on Thames Water website (your account/your usage). If they show usage during the night, for example, then you do have a leak. The same happened to us, and it turned out that our dishwasher was not properly connected to the mains, and there was indeed a leak going under the house. Check all your water connections (toilets, taps, dishwasher, washing machine etc.) first, but if it's a faulty pipe you'll probably need to lift the floors/dig and this could be costly - so make sure you do your homework before calling a professional to locate and fix the leak as it could be resolved with a simple valve tightening and save you £££s. The good news is, if you fix the leak within a certain timeframe, Thames Water will refund you the cost of the water you lost due to the leak. They did in our case.

Well, look no further. A couple of those have already posted, and I'll add my name to the list! Glad that I'm no longer paying for those who waste such a valuable resource 😀

Welcome to the forum Chris! 😀

Anyone knows how to request a LTN on the street you live in? Many thanks

The arrogance and self-righteousness of these people is puzzling.

... if you assume that the purpose is indeed to raise cash rather than reduce pollution... Think! 😂

The middle-aged woman who called and asked for my signature against the CPZ was visibly shocked when I told her that I wholeheartedly supported it. I thought she was going to collapse right on my doorstep. The arrogance and self-righteousness of these people is puzzling. I did consider doing the rounds with my own, pro-CPZ petition, but decided against it on safety grounds 😀

She actually claims that the barbed wire is to deter crows from landing on her bench, go figure 😀 I can't offer mitigating action unless she complains about our cat, which she hasn't. She's just put these traps around and mentioned the crows when challenged. I thinks she does. I'm not sure she's ok, no. But family do visit.

Yep! That's exactly what happened 😂. And he walks on the spike at the top of the fence (he seems to like the stimulation on his paws)! I guess it's the first encounter with these traps that can be troublesome though. Who knows what she'll come up with next... The neighbour in question is also one who wants centenary ash trees to be taken down by the council (presumably because leaves fall in her garden), therefore I'm definitely no longer using "lovely" to describe her!

Our lovely neighbour evidently doesn't like cats in general - and our own in particular. She is genuinely a lovely neighbour and I do understand that she gets annoyed with him defecating in her flower beds. She's had plastic spikes at the top of the fence for a while, but she is now going too far I think... She brought a bench and placed it strategically by the fence, as if to entice cats to jump on it from the top of the fence, and then covered it with barbed wire. She did the same on the other side of her garden, this time with a table. Clearly she isn't planning to use either the bench to sit down or the table to eat on (unless she is some kind of masochist, which I'm not aware of), therefore I think that these are traps designed to hurt. Any suggestions from the forum as to whether this is legal and perhaps what can be done to have these cruel "devices" removed? Or perhaps I'm overreacting and she can do what she pleases in her garden - cruel or otherwise?

Turtle, you beat me to it! 😉 The link to the official page on gov.uk calls for contributions from pet owners. Please make the effort to contribute if you can! https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/veterinary-services-market-for-pets-review

I'm with you. It's not the cost itself, it's the assumption that you will pay anyway. Any other business would have contacted you to tell you that the product was not in stock, and offered an alternative for you to consider. Or would have absorbed the extra cost. Or would have at least brought it to your attention when presenting the bill. We pet owners seem to be a captive market for vets - leading to poor competition and equally poor business practices.

There are two separate issues here: The cruelty of leaving a dog outside for long periods of time in sub zero temperatures and The annoyance the dog's barking is causing to nearby residents Does anybody know whether council workers from the noise control team would liaise with appropriate council teams or external organisations about the cruelty aspect? Because it seems to me that the dog should be taken away from whoever owns it, if what has been posted on this thread is accurate. It isn't just the noise aspect which needs to be taken seriously. It's also rather sad (in the original meaning of the word) if people nearby have gone to the trouble of contacting the council about the noisy barking, but haven't contacted (say) the RSPCA about the neglected dog. I really hope I am wrong about that. Agreed. In fact I called the RSPCA to report it but (after asking me if the dog had shelter, and what condition it was in - which I could not answer with certainty) they advised me to raise a noise complaint with Southwark who (they said) would contact them if they witnessed cruelty to an animal. My feeling is that Southwark's noise complaint team didn't agree though, or at least they were a bit more cautious. Constant barking from a dog left outside in freezing temperatures in itself doesn't seem to qualify as cruelty to the RSPCA. Unless someone can provide further evidence of cruelty to the RSPCA (I can't as I can only hear it), it's a noise complaint to them and they won't investigate.

Latest update for those who are interested... After having waited 6 months to get my discounts refunded, I refused to pay for anything until this was resolved. They threatened to stop treating my cat, saying that "Finance have reviewed your account and there's nothing wrong". I demanded to have an email from "Finance" explaining why they thought nothing was wrong and where I got wrong. As by magic, "Finance" finally got their fingers out and made the adjustment to my account! Glad it's resolved now, but how frustrating! I feel for (most of) the receptionists who have to relay the messages to the customers....

Has anyone else noticed the poor dog barking continuously on Donkey Alley (I assume it's kept outside of its house)? I've heard it before during the day and was concerned then (assume it's left outside when the owners go to work?), but surely in these temperatures this is abuse? Anyone has any insight? Thanks!

Same here. Except I managed to get a prescription for 3 months - wouldn't prescribe for longer, in case the dosage needs adjusting (obviously this requires blood tests etc. every 3 months). It stills works out MUCH cheaper than getting it direct from them!

Agreed. Throw them somewhere they won't risk hurting or inconveniencing anyone. Like a skip.

Thank you all for the feedback and recommendations. As most of you, I do like the vets and (most of) the receptionists, but I have this nagging feeling of being ripped off! I might give Medivet a try as they are closer than Ms Robson in Peckham, but again thank you all!

Another visit today, charged £30+ for eye drops that are available over the counter for max £7.50. Obviously I didn't know at the time. This level of margin is nothing short of obscene. And the consultation fee has gone up again to £54.50 I believe. Daylight robbery. Can anyone recommend an "ethical" and less greedy vet locally? I suspect Medivet is the same, am I wrong?

If you don't report them to the Council, then it will continue.

I would add another recommendation for Patrik at Gasify, who replaced all our radiators, power-flushed our system, and replaced our indirect unvented cylinder (amongst other things over the last few months). Patrik is pleasant, knowledgeable, reliable and I have full confidence in him and his abilities after this experience. It is refreshing to deal with a gas engineer that doesn't over-complicate things, explains what he is doing and why, is open to challenge and listens to feedback. Last but not least, his prices are competitive (not the cheapest nor the most expensive) and he doesn't charge VAT at the time of writing. I have no hesitation in recommending Patrik (Gasify).

Just checking if this is an isolated issue, or systemic... All feedback welcome! I subscribe the practice's Pet Health plan for my cat, which (amongst other things) gives me a 10% discount on vet consultations, tests, medicines etc. I have visited the Neighbourhood Vet 3 times recently, checked the statements they sent me and realised that the discount was somehow inconsistently applied. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. The same procedure would sometimes be discounted one month, but not the next. And vice-versa. We're not talking millions obviously, but in 3 months I have missed out on over £30 worth of discounts. The staff at reception have no idea how this is happening. Has anyone experienced the same issue? My cat is fine now, thank you, but will need regular visits (so more discount chasing fun!).

2 pumps out of order at EDR but otherwise both unleaded (E5 and E10) and diesel available at lunchtime today, and very little queueing.

Another recommendation for Lee - I hear he has some openings in his otherwise busy diary and I would strongly recommend that you give him a try if you're looking for a personal trainer in East Dulwich. I looked like Quasimodo when I started training with him 5 years ago, and within months I was being stopped on the street for autographs - it seems I had morphed into a Jonny Wilkinson lookalike. Not all down to Lee I'm sure, but he certainly played a part. Seriously, Lee is good. He's approachable, flexible, knows its stuff and is fun to spend time with (let's face it, who wants to be bored in the gym?). I enjoy my twice-weekly weights training sessions with him, which I alternate with cardio (by myself) and that works well for me. Reasonably priced too.