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Posted By Debbie S
Some time ago I posted a thread about a problem a friend was having with a neighbour running a business from home (or his garage) that involved him spray painting cars (when its dark only) and the ill health effects it was having on neighbours in the vicinity.
Some of you suggested ways to help stop the problem including ringing the local environmental health office.
To update - the gentleman involved rang the environmental health, explained his problem and the fact that it was causing health problems not only to himself but surrounding neighbours. He was bluntly told by the person on the other end of the phone (who presumably is safety minded that ' you can spray 3 or 4 cars a week from your domestic premises' and if you don't like this rule or the fact that its making you ill ' I suggest you take it up with Tony Blair, cause he makes the rules'. When he explained his symptons this person asked him 'if he was a qualifed doctor' when he said 'no' the EHO said ' how do you know your ill then. The trump card was the fact that this person said to my friend ' I suggest you get a blood test done, if it shows anything untoward, ring again and we'll see what we can do'
My friend now feels that he has hit a dead end and I can safely say that I was a trifle embarassed to be associated with such a negative response from a so called safety professional.
The good news is that the information that I managed to obtain through the previous thread means that a small committee of neighbours is now invloved in trying to get this 'business' stopped - with or without the help of the environmental health.
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Posted By JAI
I used to live next door to a guy who whent out daily collecting scrap cars on his wagon, he would come home and put a hole in the fuel tanks and then store the petrol/diesel in his house, from this he would then sell on the fuel to the local taxi drivers
One of the main problems used to be any waste fuel used to go down the drains and the smell would come up into my house meaning my family had to leave our own home because we could not breathe the air
Unfortunately this is a long process but one to say I won and this is how I went about it
1. kept calling the council both on the telephone and in person ( nuisance is a tort) and has to be investigated
2. made a video and took photographs of the process he used to drain the fuel
3. called the water board and environment agency weekly
4. called the fire brigade on several occasions talked to their safety officer
5. went to see my local MP and council officer
6. sent flyers to the surrounding neighbourhood
7. never gave up and kept at it
Stick in I ended up having an abetment order placed on him there are laws to protect us the byways and road traffic act come to mind
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Posted By peter gotch
Debbie,
I suggest gentleman complains in writing to the EHO's boss about attitude and failing to acknowledge initial complaint and copy correspondence to local councillor.
Regards, Peter
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Posted By Richard Chalkley
Debbie,
Your local Councillor should be able to help especially if there is a group of Votes, sorry - neighbours, clubbing together.
Best bet - set up a residents association and then have the Chairman / woman harrass the council. My experience is that the council will listen to a residents association
Richard Chalkley (Chairman, Dalry Colonies Residents Association, amongst other things...)
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Posted By Jack
I agree with the above. A formal letter to Chief Exec of LA; cc to Chief EHO; and to local Councillor.
Then - in a separate letter - ask the Council for its formal enforcement policy and guidance it provides for its EHOs. For good measure ask for information and statistics on enforcement of spray painting activities in the district and anything else sensible on the topic. Say you are asking under Freedom of Information Act.
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