The grumpy thread

[Zelandeth]

Milton Keynes Council Street lighting department and me appear to have very different ideas about what constitutes "made safe" in terms of damage involving exposed mains.

Apparently some of the cheapest packing tape around poorly applied will do fine.

That's well within the reach of a normal person as it's in a very low underpass.  Cover is totally smashed.

They can't even complain they didn't know what was there given the report I made specifically stated the cover was smashed and even had a photo of the damned thing.

Quick dig and yes I do still have it.

If I wasn't paying these clowns my council tax it would almost be funny.

This is about the standard that any repairs to defects that are reported.  It's irritating when they do half a job of things like graffiti removal, but this is an actual safety issue.

This coming from someone who spent the best part of ten years working for another local authority in infrastructure management...which is why this sort of thing pisses me off so much.

Especially as this will have been billed as an hour's call out.  It wouldn't have cost a bloody penny more for them to isolate the sodding fixture and cover it properly to keep the sharp edges covered.

A certain level of benign incompetence I'm willing to shrug and ignore, but this has very much crossed a line.  

[RoverFolkUs]

Getting absolutely sick and tired of hearing all the fuel price scaremongering. Lousy reporting by the daily express 

I've got a spreadsheet tracking all my fuel expenditure (call me sad, I know) - in march 2025, this time last year, I was paying between £1.389 and £1.489 for E5 unleaded from Tesco. 

Just filled up today, £1.449. Regular E10 was £1.359. 

Fuel prices DIPPED quite sharply in February, I had noticed it dropping down to £1.259 and £1.349 for E10 and E5 respectively. But they've only risen back up roughly to what they are anyway

Why can't people just fucking think for themselves instead of believing anything they read? All these articles are doing is pushing people to panic buy which will stress the supply chain. Filling stations operate on a "just in time" model, therefore if there's a spike in demand, there WILL be a temporary shortfall. It doesn't mean we're going to run out of petrol and suffer an apocalypse 

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/2183074/petrol-rationing-new-50mph-speed?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcAQmqY1jbGNrBCaobGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHvhvsascGcVH6UisME_PoEWTJS5cAns151CLAdqi3FQT6pzgEVm0MhDycbI1_aem_DJFNVpaRKeWXA0q3q-HAKw

[myglaren]

Had to go to the doc's today and the surgery is in a decent sized 'mall' for want of a better word.

All quite relaxed in there and no sign of panic buying or empty shelves.  Going shopping tomorrow and doubt that it will be any different.

[richardmorris]

43 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Getting absolutely sick and tired of hearing all the fuel price scaremongering. Lousy reporting by the daily express 

I've got a spreadsheet tracking all my fuel expenditure (call me sad, I know) - in march 2025, this time last year, I was paying between £1.389 and £1.489 for E5 unleaded from Tesco. 

Just filled up today, £1.449. Regular E10 was £1.359. 

Fuel prices DIPPED quite sharply in February, I had noticed it dropping down to £1.259 and £1.349 for E10 and E5 respectively. But they've only risen back up roughly to what they are anyway

Why can't people just fucking think for themselves instead of believing anything they read? All these articles are doing is pushing people to panic buy which will stress the supply chain. Filling stations operate on a "just in time" model, therefore if there's a spike in demand, there WILL be a temporary shortfall. It doesn't mean we're going to run out of petrol and suffer an apocalypse 

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/2183074/petrol-rationing-new-50mph-speed?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcAQmqY1jbGNrBCaobGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHvhvsascGcVH6UisME_PoEWTJS5cAns151CLAdqi3FQT6pzgEVm0MhDycbI1_aem_DJFNVpaRKeWXA0q3q-HAKw

Here in Surrey e10 is 142.9 and e5 159.9

[sheffcortinacentre]

8 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Milton Keynes Council Street lighting department and me appear to have very different ideas about what constitutes "made safe" in terms of damage involving exposed mains.

Apparently some of the cheapest packing tape around poorly applied will do fine.

That's well within the reach of a normal person as it's in a very low underpass.  Cover is totally smashed.

They can't even complain they didn't know what was there given the report I made specifically stated the cover was smashed and even had a photo of the damned thing.

Quick dig and yes I do still have it.

If I wasn't paying these clowns my council tax it would almost be funny.

This is about the standard that any repairs to defects that are reported.  It's irritating when they do half a job of things like graffiti removal, but this is an actual safety issue.

This coming from someone who spent the best part of ten years working for another local authority in infrastructure management...which is why this sort of thing pisses me off so much.

Especially as this will have been billed as an hour's call out.  It wouldn't have cost a bloody penny more for them to isolate the sodding fixture and cover it properly to keep the sharp edges covered.

A certain level of benign incompetence I'm willing to shrug and ignore, but this has very much crossed a line.  

Mate lives on the main road outside Sheffield Northern general hospital ( a pretty steep hill) couple of weeks ago he woke to a blocked burst main outside next door on the upward side of the road. Raw sewage spraying 6 -10 inches into air & flowing down the hill.

Few hours later van appears puts a single cone on road & buggers off, several days later they came & fixed it!!!!

[sheffcortinacentre]

1 hour ago, richardmorris said:

Here in Surrey e10 is 142.9 and e5 159.9

Morrisons E10 £1.37,

Diesel £1.57

[Rocket88]

Price differential between diesel and petrol seems to be escalating. Noticed this pre recent Trump madness 

[matt79]

13 hours ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Getting absolutely sick and tired of hearing all the fuel price scaremongering. Lousy reporting by the daily express 

I've got a spreadsheet tracking all my fuel expenditure (call me sad, I know) - in march 2025, this time last year, I was paying between £1.389 and £1.489 for E5 unleaded from Tesco. 

Just filled up today, £1.449. Regular E10 was £1.359. 

Fuel prices DIPPED quite sharply in February, I had noticed it dropping down to £1.259 and £1.349 for E10 and E5 respectively. But they've only risen back up roughly to what they are anyway

Why can't people just fucking think for themselves instead of believing anything they read? All these articles are doing is pushing people to panic buy which will stress the supply chain. Filling stations operate on a "just in time" model, therefore if there's a spike in demand, there WILL be a temporary shortfall. It doesn't mean we're going to run out of petrol and suffer an apocalypse 

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/2183074/petrol-rationing-new-50mph-speed?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcAQmqY1jbGNrBCaobGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHvhvsascGcVH6UisME_PoEWTJS5cAns151CLAdqi3FQT6pzgEVm0MhDycbI1_aem_DJFNVpaRKeWXA0q3q-HAKw

It's frustrating that the media vultures seem keen to stoke up a panic fuel buying frenzy situation (OMG FUEL CRISIS LOOMS / PANIC AT THE PUMPS / FUEL RATIONING IMINENT OMG!!!!), but then I guess it'll give them something else to report on. 

Prices have risen slightly is all that's happened - currently 1.56 for diesel at my local forecourt, still a way off from a few years ago, when it hit circa £2 / litre

[Cavcraft]

On 10/03/2026 at 08:24, cobblers said:

Been to wales again this weekend. Had a fantastic time going down some slate mines (Maenofferen and Cwmorthin) and on a walk with some proper landscape that puts my home turf (peak district) absolutely to shame.

But the amount of litter everywhere is absolutely heartbreaking, and the speed limits are absolutely nonsensical and applied (and adhered to) seemingly at random.  

Do you just eventually get used to it if you lived there? I had cogs coming out of my ears!

It's dog shit, isn't it? I actually get some of the limits if it's saving lives, but the biggest problem seems to be doing 20mph and having people right up your arse send. I can only assume they're local and know there aren't any speed cameras or speed traps about, but if you're not from there you have no idea.

[cobblers]

13 minutes ago, Cavcraft said:

It's dog shit, isn't it? I actually get some of the limits if it's saving lives, but the biggest problem seems to be doing 20mph and having people right up your arse send. I can only assume they're local and know there aren't any speed cameras or speed traps about, but if you're not from there you have no idea.

the bit that I struggle with the most is that round here if you're on a NSL B road that passes through a few villages that are a mile or so apart, the speed limit will drop to 30mph in the villages and go back up to NSL between them.

In wales they would go 60-40-30-20 leading up to the first village (with the 30mph limit starting about half a mile outside the first village) then stay at 20mph through all the villages til you're half a mile past the last one. 

So you end up driving 2 or 3 miles at 20mph on roads where a perfectly safe speed would be 50-60mph. The difference between the natural, comfortable speed and the speed limit causes so much frustration and erratic behaviour.

I;m not one to buy into this "war on the motorist" bollocks most of the time, but I can't explain that sort of bullshit any other way

[Zelandeth]

2 hours ago, cobblers said:

the bit that I struggle with the most is that round here if you're on a NSL B road that passes through a few villages that are a mile or so apart, the speed limit will drop to 30mph in the villages and go back up to NSL between them.

In wales they would go 60-40-30-20 leading up to the first village (with the 30mph limit starting about half a mile outside the first village) then stay at 20mph through all the villages til you're half a mile past the last one. 

So you end up driving 2 or 3 miles at 20mph on roads where a perfectly safe speed would be 50-60mph. The difference between the natural, comfortable speed and the speed limit causes so much frustration and erratic behaviour.

I;m not one to buy into this "war on the motorist" bollocks most of the time, but I can't explain that sort of bullshit any other way

They reduced the A5 to 50mph from a few miles south of Milton Keynes all the way to bloody Dunstable a year or so back.  Average speed cameras.

Used to be you'd get the odd Audi asshole go screaming past you at 90, but that's just driving anywhere.

Now if you're doing 50 (and going by GPS verification here so actually doing 50 rather than 45) you just end up with a bloody artic two inches off your back bumper the whole bloody way.  To the point that it actually feels sodding dangerous, especially if you're in a small car.

I get it, there's one kinda nasty junction on the stretch...so surely it would make far more sense (and cost less) to just drop the limit there rather than piss everyone off for half a sodding hour for no good reason.  

The A421 between Buckingham and Brackley being 50 is annoying enough, but at least that is twisty turny and has utterly shite sight lines for a fair chunk of it.  Rather than being dime bloody straight for pretty much the whole run.  

It's not even a war on the motorist - it's a war on bloody movement full stop it feels like as there's just no realistically practical alternative in many cases.

Yes if I lived in London I'd rarely drive as nine times out of ten it's probably quicker to take the bus or tube.  However here we're talking about a trip that takes 40 or so minutes by car or two bloody hours by bus.  Nobody will do that by choice.

Even in town they're a joke.  Home near the town centre in MK to Newport Pagnell (where the garage I usually use is).  Nine minute drive.  To get back home again after dropping the car off - 50 minutes.  Probably more as they're run (and I say run in the loosest possible sense here) by Arriva so it's a dice roll if the damned thing ever turns up.  Cycling only takes 25.  Great if you're able and the weather's nice.  Pain in the arse if not.  So I usually end up getting a lift if I can.

[Imhotep]

Meeting involving a work restructure means my job post is being deleted. I’m not at risk of redundancy as I can go back to my old role which I hated, hence me requesting the move. All the new jobs being made from the restructure I’m vastly under qualified for. I’m not going back to my old post full time so the job hunt is on. I hate doing this, I’m crap at interviews. Catch 22 though as the only jobs I can get are ones that don’t tax my brain so I get bored, because I can’t interview well. Might go on a skills course. It’s all shit but at least there’s still a job to go to, I know a lot of people don’t get such a luxury. I also found an MG ZT I want but now with uncertainty around where I’ll be working and what days/time I cannot buy it. 
 

Bit self obsessed I know but it’s a grumpy thread and it’s made me grumpy. 

[LightBulbFun]

On 18/03/2026 at 14:49, Zelandeth said:

Yes if I lived in London I'd rarely drive as nine times out of ten it's probably quicker to take the bus or tube.  However here we're talking about a trip that takes 40 or so minutes by car or two bloody hours by bus.  Nobody will do that by choice.

if you can get somewhere by tube your laughing, but its not quicker by bus sadly,  as the bus still has to mingle with traffic, and of course has to stop at bus stops, and is rarely going the direct route you could go via car, for example to get from here to Blackfriars station by bus is about 30-45 minutes?, I can smash it out in about 15-20 minutes in the VDP or REV  highlight being you can chuck both of them in with some speed through those City of London police choke points

if traffics clear I can actually accelerate through them, which given Londons lack fast flowing twisty roads to enjoy yourself on, you take what you can get! (the VDP also has the advantage that with its Hydrolastic suspension  is that its not really slowed down by cobbled, pot holed or damaged road surfaces, but on the flip side of course REV is much smaller...) 

[richardmorris]

E10 up 2p overnight. £144.9

[barefoot]

E10 down 2p overnight here - £1.449

[Markeh]

19 hours ago, Imhotep said:

Meeting involving a work restructure means my job post is being deleted. I’m not at risk of redundancy as I can go back to my old role which I hated, hence me requesting the move. All the new jobs being made from the restructure I’m vastly under qualified for. I’m not going back to my old post full time so the job hunt is on. I hate doing this, I’m crap at interviews. Catch 22 though as the only jobs I can get are ones that don’t tax my brain so I get bored, because I can’t interview well. Might go on a skills course. It’s all shit but at least there’s still a job to go to, I know a lot of people don’t get such a luxury. I also found an MG ZT I want but now with uncertainty around where I’ll be working and what days/time I cannot buy it. 
 

Bit self obsessed I know but it’s a grumpy thread and it’s made me grumpy. 

Restructures are a shit. We're currently going through a massive one, which I think will prove to be a mistake. First off the line managers went, about 30 roles at risk, I'd say a good half took the voluntary redundancy and most of the rest weren't deemed right for the new roles, then on the day the last of the managers finished they kicked off a much larger process for 3 or 4 other areas of the business, 35 different job roles and I've heard about 130 people in total at risk.

We'll be some of the last to go out of the door (unsurprisingly a software business still needs people to write software) but morale is through the floor, we've had no manager (or manager above them!) for a few weeks as a result of the first round, likely to lose at least one other from the team in this round, we suspect there'll be a third round where two others in the team will be at risk. The rest of the team keep telling me I ought to have applied for the manager's role as despite there being both a senior and lead developer above me I am picking up a decent chunk of our manager's former responsibilities - to which I say absolutely not, I know a poisoned chalice when I see one...

I am now starting to look, although because I am at a funny place in my career (most won't take a senior on without experience as a senior and there are less mid-level vacancies, some of which would also involve a pay cut) I'm not remaining hopeful.

[barefoot]

In comparison to the above, an utterly minor grump but have you noticed that when pulling out into a smallish gap, I'm thinking of the instances when you do it in dense 30 mph traffic, the bloke you've pulled out in front of... Rather than just easing off a tad, or even just a semi-tad to facilitate smooth progress for all, will actually accelerate right up your arse so he can do the disparaging shrug thing with both arms?

[jakebullet]

I haz mega hatred of using phones. Came off the motorway and some bint away with the fairies is strolling up the slip road in the direction of death so had to phone plod to stick the caution suicidal pedestrians sign on. Stressful turned up to 10.

[New POD]

1 hour ago, barefoot said:

In comparison to the above, an utterly minor grump but have you noticed that when pulling out into a smallish gap, I'm thinking of the instances when you do it in dense 30 mph traffic, the bloke you've pulled out in front of... Rather than just easing off a tad, or even just a semi-tad to facilitate smooth progress for all, will actually accelerate right up your arse so he can do the disparaging shrug thing with both arms?

I did exactly that this morning. Someone pulled out from a service station directly onto the roundabout lane i was on.  He took a straight stare into my eyes saw thst i was clearly concentrating, and decided ah fuck it... can't be arsed to stop moving forward.

 

I was in two minds whether to drive into the side of him or brake hard.  I was then 3 foot behind him going onto the dual carriage way because he didn't accelerate from about 20 until he got out of the 60mph zone and into a temp 30 zone. And then I tooted and gave a shrug and gestitulated for him to get a move on. He immediately took the hint and zoomed off at well over 60.  Last seen in the distance going through 2 red lights as they changed from amber. Dick. 

[myglaren]

19 minutes ago, jakebullet said:

I haz mega hatred of using phones.

Same here.  I made appointments with the doctor and then got conflicting ones from somewhere else.

Had a reminder of the conflicting ones that I had cancelled.  Cancelled them again as they said that no-shows would be fined £160.

Went to my doctors and they said they didn't have access to whoever made the other appointments.

I should phone them but most likely won't.

[New POD]

41 minutes ago, jakebullet said:

I haz mega hatred of using phones. Came off the motorway and some bint away with the fairies is strolling up the slip road in the direction of death so had to phone plod to stick the caution suicidal pedestrians sign on. Stressful turned up to 10.

It must be a young person thing. 

Imagine a world with no texting, no email only letters and phone.  Getting a decent insurance quote required multiple phone calls to try and play one company off against another.  Buying parts for your car involved phoning up motor factors to see if they had what you needed in stock.  

As a student in Coventry, my ability to communicate via public phone and letter with my girlfriend who was a student nurse in Birmingham involved a fair walk to a phone box. Waiting in the rain, ringing the nurses halls of residence and hoping someone  would both answer the phone, be able to find said girl, give her the phone number of the box I was in and hope that she might be able to phone me back.  Eventually worked out that I could phone the ward she was working on and leave a message with the ward clerk about when I would next be heading her way. Followed up with a letter or card. I probably wrote every 3 days. She kept them all. They are in the loft. 

Sometimes she just turned up in Coventry unannounced because her letter hadn't arrived.  

 

[jakebullet]

30 minutes ago, myglaren said:

Same here.  I made appointments with the doctor and then got conflicting ones from somewhere else.

Had a reminder of the conflicting ones that I had cancelled.  Cancelled them again as they said that no-shows would be fined £160.

Went to my doctors and they said they didn't have access to whoever made the other appointments.

I should phone them but most likely won't.

I signed up for therapy and after session 2 got a text that my therapist has gone on long term sick, please phone us to discuss.  Yeah, that's going to work.

[myglaren]

11 minutes ago, jakebullet said:

I signed up for therapy and after session 2 got a text that my therapist has gone on long term sick, please phone us to discuss.  Yeah, that's going to work.

I only do text, email or face to face.  Fortunately I am only a ten minute walk from my doctors.

[Spiny Norman]

What's the problem some people have nowadays with phone calls, is it an age thing? 

I'd far rather spend two minutes on a quick call getting whatever I want sorting than fannying around waiting for replies to texts or emails. 

[loserone]

1 hour ago, myglaren said:

I only do text, email or face to face.  Fortunately I am only a ten minute walk from my doctors.

Bloody youth of today

[loserone]

I don't object to phone calls some of the time, but often the thing being dealt with requires research, digestion or consideration.

 

Calling out of the blue is 99% trying to get something rushed through to cover up not having done something properly.  

[myglaren]

27 minutes ago, Spiny Norman said:

What's the problem some people have nowadays with phone calls, is it an age thing? 

I'd far rather spend two minutes on a quick call getting whatever I want sorting than fannying around waiting for replies to texts or emails. 

Possibly.  Never liked it but did make plenty of phone calls but decreasingly so over the pas couple of decades when it has become easier to email and now to text, which can be dealt with as and when rather than immediately.

[jakebullet]

I'm 52. So doubt it's a youth today thing.

I like email. You can read it again and make sure you understand it properly. There's time to think before you reply.

[Split_Pin]

Local Jet garage has increased the price of Diesel twice weekly by 5p a litre. Its now at £ 1.69. Tescos down at the retail park (5 miles away) is £1.53. 

Jet can away and shite.

[GMcD]

This is the state of the paint on MrsGMcD brand new car.  Left it at the dealership. It's been an absolute mare of a day and this was the icing ontop of the shit cake.

Funny how you trade them a car and they have eyes on them like superman picking up everything, but you buy from them and suddenly they are Stevie wonder.