Severn Trent own goal - - again!

Severn Trent are continuing to get right up my nose!  (again! see blog of 15/11/11)  Yesterday around 8:00 a van appeared across the road from the bottom of our drive and a couple of blokes proceeded to put up emergency traffic lights.  No problem there i thought we had the whole road surface relaid only 3 weeks ago so its about time someone put a hole in it!
Imagine my surprise when they erected one of those barrier rectangle across the bottom of our drive! it turns out a Severn Trent man had discovered a leak at the bottom of our drive some days ago and scheduled the repair for yesterday. I believe its normal Customer Service to let you know when they are going to block your drive.  Instead the man told our self appointed neighbourhood watch man who's information in the past has been suspect!
We managed to get all the vehicles out from behind the terrace before they started digging.  And here's the irritating bit, 4.5 hours later the site looked like this.

So for the 4.5 hours work they managed to disrupt the A6 traffic by putting up traffic lights and this barrier, oh and they used one of those cutting machines to mark out where the hole should be!!!!!!!!!! it was going to be a long siege!!!!
As the afternoon developed they, "hit a snag" by managing to damage the pipe further and needed to replace it.  Did they have the right bit!!!!! no comment.
So there we were being told the hole was too big to cover and unstable so we wouldnt be able to access the drive.  There was just enough room to get passed and our neighbour John tried it.  Managing in the process to scrape his van on a pedestrian sign they had erected.  In his frustration he then threw the sign down the hole.  Like the Bernard Cribbins song i can only say about John "hes too hasty far too hasty" lol.
So here we are this morning no vehicles at the back of the terrace except the SORN'd Boris.  Expecting another exiting day watching things develop.  Sally has dashed off a "what the hell's going on" e mail to Severn Trent i shall just send them the link to this blog.  "Customer Service" MY *RSE!

But wait! more excitement today,  We have an ageing combi boiler which I refuse to replace just because its only 78% efficient according to British Gas. However not being completely dopey we do have one of these monthly payment agreements for repairs etc.  Today between 1400 & 1600 the Gas man is meant to be coming to service it.  Not long ago we were due a service and the bloke phoned me up an hour before it was due and cancelled it and told ME! to organise another appointment and was then late for that.  Customer Service!  Ditto above comment.  Why are "we" so crap at it?

11:30 update Just received a letter from British Gas saying if I don't book my inspection/service soon my insurance might be invalid Ggggrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!