FELLOWSHIP

I made a decision yesterday that I need to get out more (mainly on my bike) so came up with a "brand" of ride that I can promote within (and without) Sustrans - the "Fellowship Ride" - inviting Sustrans Rangers and other people to come along on a short ride (Wednesday evenings) and longer rides (Saturdays). I have mailed this out to the other Rangers and had the usual response from the usual 2 who show enthusiasm. However, I will not be thwarted by the miserable wretches who do not leave their homes for anything other than a free meal! If no-one turns up, I get to do the ride myself anyway, so what do I lose?

UNEMPLOYED?

A musing on the nature of unemployment... it has been around 6 weeks since I did any paid work. I made a claim for Jobseeker's Allowance as soon as I became unemployed, but at my preliminary interview it was clear that my claim would probably be disallowed unless I got a sicknote from my doctor, which I duly did. This resulted in my claim being transferred to one for E.S.A (Employment and Support Allowance) which is a revamped version of Incapacity Benefit. I'm not entirely comfortable with claiming benefit, but my doctor is happy to provide me with sicknotes while we explore what might or might not be wrong with me. I certainly don't like telling people I am unemployed, it is not a status which sits happily with me. While unemployed I am far from idle - my voluntary work with Sustrans continues apace; if anything, with renewed vigour. My church work continues also, though somewhat slower.

When one is employed, there is a sense of belonging, and a sense of status and self-worth which is absent among the unemployed. All you belong to is the dole queue.

I "belong" to the fellowship of my Church. I "belong" to the Sustrans Movement. I "belong" to a Bible Study Group. I "belong" to God.

I do a lot of things, so why then do I feel a sense of shame?

My health conditions do prevent me from working full-time. I can no longer call myself a "writer" or a "poet", having had impenetrable writer's block for over 5 years.

I cannot remember the last time I painted anything. Really.

I don't like to admit that my health is a barrier. I can, with a great deal of preparation and effort, cycle around 60 miles in a single stretch, more than many people can do. I'm usually ill for a while afterwards, but it seems worth the sacrifice at the time, it's a good feeling, especially when done with good friends.

HELLO! HOORAY!

I've decided to rekindle this blog, as things are once more starting to grind me down. Since leaving the bikeshop I have spent some time working for Lidl here in Pembroke Dock as a "caretaker", which is a bit of a misnomer, as all I did was clean, but it was from 6am to 10am, and I actually enjoyed the job, even though it was by far the most soulless place in which I have worked, and staff morale was an alien concept. I left there a couple of months ago after a contretemps with a pompous buffoon of an area manager (my favourite quote was: "It's not a good idea to raise your voice to me, I'm the Area Manager!" Twit.

Since then I've been claiming Employment and Support Allowance, which is the new Incapacity Benefit, while trying (in vain) to get some proper diagnoses of my various illnesses and conditions. This is made more complicated and traumatic with my tried, tested and tame GP due to leave the practice any minute, and there have been discussions with various practice managers, deputy managers, doctors, receptionists, mostly conducted in loud voices to try and resolve the issue of continuity of care.

So, you rejoin me with no real job to speak of, no real "healthcare professional" to tell me what is wrong with me, and in a fairly downtrodden mood.

I am still the Sustrans Volunteer Liaison Ranger for Pembrokeshire, though that is also currently hanging in the balance. I am also quite closely involved with church, and this too is a source of depression and anxiety at the moment, for a variety of reasons.

I am a member of a Bible Study Group which meets weekly. This, surprisingly, is a source of strength and encouragement to me. (I say surprisingly, because when I joined the group 6 months ago I did not expect to form such strong bonds with people so quickly).

BLACKOUT

BACK TO BLACK

Saturday 28th September 2008 was my last day at the bike shop - I don't think anyone was happy with anyone else, and it was best to end it now before any bitterness or recriminations set in. This way we remain friends. I've described it to close friends as being stuck in a malfunctioning submarine with no-one but Jim Davidson and a flatulent Jeanette Krankie for company (and a snoring dog, also immensely flatulent), but this is perhaps doing a disservice to the female half of the Krankies. At best it was claustrophobic, at worst unbearable, and they probably began to feel the same about me. I was often expected to play the role of marriage guidance counsellor, but refused to be drawn into it. I enjoyed the work, but found the hours an immense drain on my time and resources - I'd arrive home at 6ish, have my dinner, fall asleep, and when I woke up the wife and kids would be in bed, and that would be my lot day upon day. Having a day off in the week gave me some luxurious time to myself, but meant I had to sacrifice a family Saturday, which was hard.
I hated dealing with the public, and would go so far as to say I couldn't actually cope with it. I've always been a backroom boy - chef, promoter, call-centre monkey; if the workshop had been separate from the shop I'd have been much happier.
I became so very tired I made stupid mistakes. This is still a worry to me, and I have mentioned this to my doctor, who has re-prescribed antidepressants, which I have started today, so henceforth a couple of weeks of side-effects with no fun attached.
I also experienced a lot of pain in my hands and feet, which we put down to arthritic pain and treated with Cod Liver Oil and Glucosamine, which has made a notable difference to my hands, but not so much to my feet. My hips also have a tendency to seize up when I'm sedentary or prone for lengthy periods.
It's an awkward time to become unemployed as my wife only gets paid for 10 months of the year, so after her paycheck at the end of this week she gets no pay till January. Very convenient for us! Something will turn up.

PARTIALLY SIGHTED

I've had a big problem with Specsavers.
Here's the letter I delivered to the "Director" this morning.
It got me 2 pairs of varifocal lenses considerably upgraded, a free pair of
singlevision reading glasses in �85 frames, and �40 off my original bill.
Worth writing then.

Specsavers,

Dimond Street

Pembroke Dock.Dear Mr ****,

*Re: Complaint about Customer Service.*My complaint begins on 21st June 2008, when I came to the Pembroke Dock
branch of Specsavers with the intention of ordering some new varifocal
spectacles.

I selected frames and went through the ordering process, but I was told it
would not be possible for me to pay a deposit, I would have to pay the full
amount before the specs could be ordered, and that this was company policy.
I was annoyed about this being stated at the end of the process, as it meant
that I had to wait until Thursday 26th June before the order could be sent
off. Prior to my sight test, I had broken my only pair of varifocal glasses,
and the only standby pair I have are an old pair of single vision glasses,
which are fine for distance, but no good whatsoever for close work. However,
it was made very clear to me that full payment had to be made before the
order could be processed, so I arranged to take some time off work the
following Thursday to enable me to come in and place the order.

I was informed at the time that due to the technician being on holiday have
to be sent away to be made up, and would take between a week and ten days to
be delivered to Pembroke Dock.

I explained at the time that I am a cycle mechanic and need glasses for
close vision as well as distance, and that I had had to struggle with single
vision lenses for a week already. I was assured that a note would be put on
the order asking for it to be dispached as soon as possible, though I now
know this was not done.

I was informed of the various offers, and chose to take the 2 for 1 deal,
with my main glasses having slimmer lenses, and the second pair having a
tint.

I paid in cash and was told I would be contacted by phone when my glasses
were ready for collection.

I found my work very difficult, particularly tasks such as trueing wheels
and adjusting brakes, which require constant close vision.

I phoned on Friday 4th July to check whether my spectacles had arrived, and
was told that they would definitely be there by Monday. I do not know to
whom I spoke.

When I phoned today, I spoke to Penny, who seemed surprised that no-one had
phoned me, as there was a note attached to my order saying that the lenses I
had ordered were no longer available. I knew this would mean that no
spectacles were available for collection, and that it would mean a further
delay, and I got quite angry on the phone, which was wrong of me.

Penny explained that there was no point in me coming to the shop as there
was no-one there who was able to do anything, which I thought was a lie, so
I went along to the shop in an attempt to get a resolution, as I had
deliberately organised the day off work, having been assured my glasses
would be ready for collection.

When I discovered that Penny was actually telling the truth about the
complete lack of staff I was utterly disgusted, and demanded that she get
someone like an area manager on the phone.

I was offered a full refund, which I declined, as that would do nothing to
help my predicament.

After some negotiation, we arrived at a temporary solution, whereby they
would make me some near-vision glasses overnight to help in my work while my
new glasses were made. This was far from an ideal solution, but the only
practicable one under the circumstances.

I arranged for my wife to collect them the next day, but as I was cycling
home it occurred to me that something might be done with the lenses from my
old varifocals.

I was told that it probably wouldn't be possible to transfer them to new
frames, as it would involved trimming off the bottom of the lens, but we
agreed it would be worth a try as there was nothing to be lost, and another
Penny agreed to do the work after her lunchbreak.

When I returned later, I discovered that throughout all this, a pair of
glasses for me had been upstairs the whole time; the second pair I had
ordered with the tint.

So, more by accident than design, I finally ended up with a pair of glasses
I can use for work, even though they have a tint which will still make
things difficult. It will be nice to be able to see properly after
struggling for over 3 weeks.

Today has been a far more stressful day than I would choose for a day off.

I feel I am owed at the very least an explanation as to the following
questions:

Why is it essential for a fee to be paid in full before the order can be
processed, when I was willing to leave a sizeable cash deposit?

Why was I sold a set of lenses which are not available?

Why was I assured that the urgency of my situation would be noted on the
order, only for it to be completely ignored?

Why was I told on the telephone that my glasses would definitely be
available for collection today when that was clearly not the case?

Why were a pair of glasses delivered to the store and no-one informed?

Why was there no-one available to deal with my grievances at the time?Of the three people I dealt with today I have nothing but praise. They
handled a very difficult situation very well, and I am delighted with the
service I received from them, but I am disgusted with your managerial
system. That the shop should be left so understaffed is appalling, and I
hope you pass on my compliments to the staff who were there.

I fully intend to post my feelings about this incident online, on my own
blogs, and on sheriffratings.com, which lists Specsavers as a business,
though in the interests of fairness I shall await your response before
posting.I would appreciate a response at your earliest convenience, and I would
also appreciate receipt of my correct glasses as soon as possible, with the
minimum of disruption to my working week.Regards, the hobo

FULL TIME

Today I started full-time, permanent, proper employment at the bike shop. Most of this month has been spent working there, so it seemed the right step to take. The house is sxtill a mess, although most of the hallway, the smallest bedroom and part of my workshop is decorated. I have had little time for anything else, though I have managed to write an article for Sustrans, and an article about Sustrans for the parish magazine. I have also found a few spare hours on a Friday evening to go to the pub and drink beer; a seemingly long forgotten pastime.
It seems this blog is well named - the more involved I become in The World Of Cycling, the happier I get.

CONTINUED

...OK so the big chairs are finally out of the house, but still awaiting collection and disposal, as is the old telly and a few other sticks and bits, and there is more room within the house as a result. Or is there...?
An inflatable gaming chair with speakers and dock for an MP3 has been bought and inflated and is very popular with the children. Unfortunately a bit too small for me.
Kitchen units and a worktop have provided Jasmine with an 8ft desk in her room and replaced her wardrobe.
In moving living room furniture, we uncovered a living breathing growing patch of mould on the living room wall below the window, which necessitated the removal of a large section of wallpaper, and led to the stripping of the whole wall and the removal of the accursed dado rail. This has now progressed along the wall to my workshop/study room (the redecorating, not the mould, which hopefully has been forever banished).
My shed is still full of chipboard panelling, the workshop/study still full of Mrs H's stuff, and bikes have no home at the moment. This is a very inconvenient state of affairs, but not one which can be rushed. The redecorating has to be done before cupboards and shelves can be attached to walls, and the redecorating is what is taking the time. If only I didn't have a job!

T-T-TEMPUS FUGIT

I can't believe how long it is since I last posted on here. It's all been hectic and change and flux and chaos...
I got the job at the bike shop, and have worked every possible hour since. I'm still enjoying it.
We were given a whole suite of kitchen furniture - units, cupboards, worktops etc, which needed to be incorporated into the structure of the house post haste, and this sparked a whole chain reaction of events which has turned the whole house upside down and given it a good shake, so things like springcleaning and redecorating have been high on the domestic agenda. To understand the scale of the operation, you have to understand the sheer cramped chaos of a six-piece family in a 3 bed council house. To move something, you first need somewhere to move it to. Inevitably, to create this space, something else has to be moved somewhere else, and so on ad infinitem, ad nauseam, add it all up and take something away.
What should have been taken away were two enormous armchairs. The size of these beauties cannot be overstated. We bought them from one of Mrs H's work colleagues back in Leicester, and at the time I had an Astra estate, which was pretty good for shifting stuff. The contents of my flat probably took 3 or 4 trips when we moved into the house, but these chairs had to be moved one at a time, so cumbersome was their bulk. So sturdy their build and so comfortable their cushions, that it was a hard choice to get rid of them, but they did take up a great deal of space. Some community police people actually helped get them out of the door, on a day when Frame, the local furniture recycling charity, was supposed to be out and about collecting furniture in the community, only they did not and have still not collected our chairs. (to be continued...)

EVENING STROLLS

The current spell of delightful weather has forced everyone out of doors, and while it means we're plagued with un-neighbourly noise, they have forced us out of our home in the evenings. Last night I dragged everyone out for a walk. As we set off up the hill, both Oliver and Mavis were constantly asking where we were going, obviously puzzled by the fact that we were going out at bedtime. We did a short circular walk which included a play in the park, and we were all better for it. Unfortunately the neighbour noise had not abated in the slightest, nor did it do so until after 9pm.
Tonight I took Jasmine and Dylan (and camera) while tired Olver and Mavis went to bed. We covered the same route and returned about 7.30pm. The neighbours, who had been noticeably and pleasantly silent earlier, were back in full voice, so I decided to take a short bike ride and take some more photos, something I haven't done for what seems like a very long time. It reminded me of all that was good about living here.

AN UNFITTTING END

Our next-door-but-one neighbours are making our lives hell with constant noise. Here is tonight's entry to the Noise Diary I will be sending to the Police, the Council and anyone else who will listen.
"FROM THE MOMENT I ARRIVED HOME FROM WORK AT AROUND 4PM, THERE WAS SHOUTING, SCREAMING AND THE NOISE OF THE TRAMPOLINE. THERE ARE CURRENTLY 6 ADULTS AND 6 CHILDREN OUT THERE, ALL SHOUTING AND YELLING. EVEN WITH THE TELEVISION TURNED UP UNCOMFORTABLY LOUD WE CANNOT DROWN OUT THIS NOISE, AND WE CANNOT EVEN SIT DOWN TO EAT OUR DINNER IN PEACE. IF WE SO MUCH AS LOOK OUT OF OUR WINDOW WE ARE JEERED AT AND INSULTED. MORE RUBBISH HAS BEEN DUMPED OVER THE BACK OF THEIR FENCE IN THE WOODLAND; WOODEN STAKES LARGE PLASTIC CHILDRENS' TOYS AND A TRASHED COMPOSTING BIN NOW GRACE OUR VIEW. AT 6PM WE WENT FOR A WALK AS WE COULDN'T STAND ANY MORE BUT HAD TO RETURN AT 7PM AS THE 3 YEAR OLD TWINS WERE READY TO GO TO BED. THE NOISE IS NOW WORSE THAN IT WAS EARLIER, AND THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE IN THE GARDEN. IT WOULD BE POINTLESS TO COMPLAIN DIRECTLY AS THE ADULTS ARE ALL DRINKING HEAVILY. 20:15 I HAVE BEEN WEARING HEADPHONES FOR THE PAST HOUR TO BLOCK OUT THE NOISE, WHICH CONTINUES JUST AS LOUDLY AS BEFORE. CHILDREN ARE NOW GOING INTO THE TREES AT THE BACK OF OUR GARDEN, AND THEIR YORKSHIRE TERRIERS ARE YAPPING CONSTANTLY."

MONDAY CONFUSION

After an unexpectedly hectic weekend assembling kitchen units, dissembling wardrobes and generally turning the house upside down, I awoke on Monday morning with a sore throat and numerous aches and pains, all of which called out for the soothing balm of a painkiller. Tramadol in the evening is a very effective way of attaining comfort, and then sleep, but in the morning it is the quickest route to baffledom and fuzzytown that I know of.
I knew I needed to establish the time and date of my appointment with my surgeon, and spent a fruitless half hour searching for the appointment letter, before deciding to phone work and tell them I would be a little late. The letter would not be found, so I phoned the hospital to discover that my appointment was booked for today at 11am! Fortunately, it was at the local hospital, a short bikeride away. My intention had been to cancel the appointment, but I was obviously too late for this, so I decided I may as well see the surgeon, even though the problems I had encountered six months ago were long gone.
The surgeon was delighted with my progress, and told me to continue to live as normal, with no fear of the hernias returning.

After my appointment I rode over to work, and had a pleasant afternoon trueing wheels and adjusting brakes.

We discussed the week, and I explained my commitments, and there was no hassle. My work-life balance is restored, I am a happy man.

BUSY SATURDAY

Having worked at the bike shop again on Friday, I decided that Friday night was as good a time as any celebrate recent events, and we arranged a babysitter, and went to our local pub for a few beers and games of pool, which was very pleasant. We got home around midnight to find Jasmine and Dylan still up watching the Simpsons. We packed them off to bed quite easily, and went to bed ourselves. I woke around 6am with the current cough in full spate, and couldn't get back to sleep, so got up.
I was asked later if I could assist with the moving of some kitchen units we'd been given a while ago. This involved getting them out of a lockup garage a few streets away, loading them into a trailer and unloading them into our front "garden". It took two trips and the result overspilled into the street, constructed cupboards, doors, panels, shelves, and an 8' by 2'6" worktop, so hardly a stroll in the park, but I managed it with no worrying twinges. I managed to blag a decent electric screwdriver out of it, to make the job easier, not all effort was in vain. The day then consisted of emptying the shed into the living room, filling up the shed with stuff from the garden, emptying the living room into the garden in order to have somewhere to eat dinner, then making sure everything was inside that needed to be, before retiring to bed at around 7.30pm, knackered but glorious.
The reason I'm describing this in such detail is that it is probably the most strenuous and hectic day I've had in a very long time, and it did me no harm. I'm aching now, but with the honest ache of hard physical work, nothing sinister, which leads me to the conclusion that it is the three years of almost constant inactivity sitting at a civil service desk which has been the source of most of my woes; physical, mental, spiritual. If I sit down for too long, I seize up, particularly around my hips. If I stay active, I don't.
Some of the cupboards have been installed beneath the stairs, some will go in my shed, and some will replace the delapidated wardrobe in the kids' bedroom. The 8' worktop will not fit in my shed, but will fit in the kids' room, so no need to carve it up, and I can use a shorter piece as a workbench in the shed.
Tomorrow's work is mapped out. As is Monday's, back at the bike shop.

NEW JOB

Today I started work at the bike shop. I have mostly been fitting new brake and gear cables, fixing punctures, fitting new chains etc, and it has been marvellous. I couldn't get enough of it, didn't want to stop for lunch, got my hands good and dirty (for once the dirt beneath my fingernails was not from the keys of a computer keyboard), and am glad to be going back tomorrow. I was born to do this. I ache everywhere, but don't care.

THE LETTER

Hi J***, Hi A***,
Thank you for accepting my resignation, as indicated in my email yesterday.
Obviously it is not a decision I have taken lightly.
Firstly, I would like to thank you both for all the help and support you have given me during what has been a very difficult time for me and my family, and I hope neither of you feels let down by my decision. I would also like to thank the team for being a good bunch to work with and for their help and support when I tried to return to work on a part-time basis.
The reasons for my resignation are fairly obvious, but I would like to clarify them, in the hope that my views might be of help in the future.
I have felt throughout the whole course of my complaint against Mike Kelly that the management position has favoured his side, and deep down I fully expected that the decision would go against me from the start. The stress of the whole situation has had a very detrimental effect on my health and family life, and I do not feel that this has received any consideration beyond the contact centre, where I am just another number shouting over the barricades. I feel that DWP as a whole both ignores and accepts bullying and harassment as a part of working life, and so is prepared to do nothing about it. I am also disgusted with how PCS union has handled the situation, and cancelled my subscription some time ago, but I know this is not your business directly.
My decision came when I decided that whatever principle was at stake, it was not worth pursuing if it would be detrimental to my health, and I felt that if I returned to work I would be victimised by other union representatives and other members of my team, in particular Mitch Rushton, who made a spectacularly incomplete and inaccurate witness statement, which the investigators obviously decided was better than having no witnesses at all.
I feel that, whatever guidance and procedure states, I would be stigmatised for making a complaint, and I would not receive any support from the union as the complaint was against one of their officers, and this makes my position in the Contact Centre completely untenable.

regards
Jim

A FREE MAN

A while ago now I dropped a hint at the local bike shop that I would be interested in replacing their lost mechanic, who had gone off to deliver tellies. At the time Mike said that he thought he was "sorted", and I left it hanging.
He has just phoned me today to ask if I could do some repair work for him on a casual basis, so I'm going in tomorrow to see how we get on. I'm sure all will be well. It feels right.

A FREE MAN?

I have resigned. In high dudgeon.
Yesterday's meeting was a far worse travesty than I was capable of imagining, full of "the procedure doesn't allow..." and "if it was within the timescale..." and "you're fucking joking!" and "this is outfuckingrageous". I did try to curtail my outbursts, but it was an uphill task, and this Bozo was paid to come all the way from Newcastle to tell me what he'd already decided, which could have easily been done by email.
When I came out of the meeting, I had a small and restrained rant at John, my direct manager, about which I felt terrible, as he is such a nice bloke, but he needed to hear it.
So, free from the restraints of being a Civil Servant (God how I loathe and despise that job title) I can now state quite loudly and not-so-proudly that the Department of Work and Pensions supports and condones Harassment and Bullying in the workplace. It doesn't just turn a blind eye, it is fully aware of what is going on and is happy to do absolutely fuck all about it. Let's face it, the whole Department is nothing but one big corporate bully, so why should it differ in attitude towards its staff? I despise the entire system and every bastard who administers it.
PCS Union is equally guilty. Racism, discrimination, bigotry, bullying and harassment are rife in its ranks, all the way to the top. I was summoned to Leeds for my allegations to be heard - how could I expect a fair hearing when I was interviewed by a very loud, obnoxious and obvious bully? (I'm referring here to Jane Aitchison. I think names should be named.)
I have just been phoned by my line manager, to ask whether my email, which said "I have no option but to tender my resignation" should be taken as notice of resignation, or would I be putting it in a letter.
I think a letter would be appropriate, under the circumstances.

THE WHEELS OF INDUSTRY

Today, I am finally having my appeal heard in my Bullying and Harassment case. This has been dragging on from November '07. It has contributed greatly to my current state of health. It is causing arguments at home. I am thoroughly disgusted with every step of the "procedure", and it seems to me that the time taken has only served to give Mike Kelly a chance to organise his defence. I intend to make my feelings as plain as possible, before telling them where they can stick their job. I still feel like he has "won", and that the system is set up to allow him to do so, but I'm not prepared to go much further with this. My belief in "justice" is already threadbare, so why not just throw out the carpet? If I "let it go", what then? Will I be able to "move on" (how I hate this contemporary jargon! I'm sure you "hear what I'm saying".)
Now I'm starting to get back to fitness, I should start to feel better within myself, but it just doesn't seem to be happening. I feel a complete lack of support from my wife, which merely fuels the paranoia. So, where now?

TO SEE OURSEL'S AS OTHERS SEE US

In church this morning I found myself being discussed by a couple of the older women. First I was asked if I'd seen myself in the paper, something to do with taking part in a big cleanup operation. The other then commented on this "Mystery Cyclist" who kept whizzing past her house. She then went on to comment on how different I appear now to a few months ago when I couldn't walk without the aid of a stick, and that brought me up short.
On Thurdsday, I cycled 10 miles or so up the main trunk road to Stepaside to take part in a working day for Sustrans, tidying up the borders of a new cycle and foot path, which was reasonably heavy work, and then we cycled back again along the Ridgeway, so about 25 miles cycling in total (on my newly rebuilt road bike, so a much faster pace than usual).
On Friday I cycled to Haverfordwest and back early in the morning to buy cheap cycling clothes from Aldi; another 22 miles. In the afternoon I did more cycling around town, this time on my MTB, with panniers full of shopping/compost etc.
Looking back, I was probably walking with a stick until the end of November 2007. I think I can now view my progress in a different light.

A NEW DAY

It's the Monday Morning after a really crap weekend, most of which I can't remember. The main incident was on Saturday Night and completely eclipsed everything else which might have been good about the weekend. The Noisy Neighbours came round to abuse and threaten me again, this time charging me with taking photos of their children. They simply will not accept that their children and their friends are liars (even though they encourage them to lie, steal and cheat at every opportunity). The father was nearest the door, but still at some distance, and did most of the talking, threatening me with allsorts, including the police, to which I agreed. His wife was at the gate, surrounded by a gang of kids, mostly teenagers, and when he got nowhere, she started hurling the abuse, whereupon I shut the door on them and called the police myself. Within minutes the whole family was dispersed, presumably collecting alibis.
Two Community Support Officers attended within about 10 minutes, and promised to look into the problem. I phoned again yesterday as I had heard nothing back, and spoke to the older officer, who said "As you've sent a report of this to your local councillor, we're just going to treat this as a neighbour disagreement, which is nothing to do with us".
At this I went ballistic. Within an hour two "proper coppers" came to the house, and I filled them in with what had happened, whereupon they said they would speak to the neighbours.
Since then I've had abuse shouted at me by strangers in the street, but nothing physical has happened as yet, though I get the feeling it will.
As a family we are sick of this. We have no privacy, no peace and quiet, no quality of life to speak of. On Saturday, my wife was in the garden with our children, and had to put up with continued abuse shouted across and things thrown at them. Their behaviour is disgusting.
Our Councillor has taken our side in this and has forwarded emails on to the Housing Officer, though I fully expect he will take as much action as usual, i.e. none at all. I'd like us to be moved away completely, but most of the areas to which we could move are probably a lot worse, so it would be a leap from the frying pan.