Right, so here's one for the 'could've maybe done a bit of research first' files.
Somewhere in south London, let's say a little independent cycling shop, the kind run by a bloke called Gary who genuinely loves bikes and hates car culture, is currently operating in what can only be described as a permanent fog of raw sewage. Not a whiff. Not a bad day. A constant, relentless, eye-watering stench rising up from a Thames Water sewer that runs directly beneath the shop floor.
Gary, or whoever the poor sod actually is, has apparently been in battle with Thames Water over the situation, which, fair enough, because nobody should have to sell inner tubes while breathing in what amounts to London's intestinal tract. Thames Water, who couldn't organise a bath if you filled it for them, have reportedly been less than helpful. Standard.
But . And we say this with genuine sympathy, truly. At some point during the whole 'shall I open a business here' process, the viewings, the surveys, the lease negotiations, did nobody think to ask whether there was an enormous Victorian poo tunnel underneath the gaff? Because that does feel like fairly essential due diligence, doesn't it? Right up there with 'does the roof leak' and 'is there a Greggs nearby'.
The story got picked up by a major national paper, which, bless them, ran it quite prominently. Which tells you everything about the state of the news, really. Not a criticism. We'd have done the same. We ARE doing the same.
Thames Water remain, by all accounts, absolutely useless about the whole thing. Shocking.
So, whose fault is this? Thames Water for not sorting it, or our Gary for not checking what was under his feet? Let us know below.