Q: How do you get a plastic bag out of a tree in Lambeth?
A: You call the Fire Brigade!
January 2005

Lambeth council cannot cope with a plastic bag

Two weeks ago Mr Thornhill, a 64 year old, disabled resident of Lambeth, was dismayed to find a stray plastic bag had been caught on the branch of a tree just outside his bedroom window. The rustling noise of the bag blowing in the wind meant he was unable to sleep at night. Certain that the problem could be quickly resolved, Mr Thornhill rang the council and asked if somebody could come along with a ladder and remove the nuisance bag.

However, Mr Thornhill had not reckoned with the inefficiency of Lambeth’s clean up operations which has had a chequered record since the Liberal Democrats took control of the council in 2002. Night after night Mr Thornhill’s sleep was disrupted by the bag outside his bedroom window. Repeated calls to the council made no difference as his requests to have it removed continued to be ignored.

In desperation, he got in touch with his local Labour Councillor, Jackie Meldrum. She also made repeated calls on Mr Thornhill’s behalf for the council to undertake the gruelling task of removing the bag from the tree.

After two weeks and in complete exasperation with the inaction of the council, Councillor Meldrum rang one of her contacts in the local Fire Brigade. She asked if they would be able to use their ladder to remove the bag if they were ever in Mr Thornhill’s area. Sure enough, a few days later the Fire Engine pulled up outside of his house and got rid of the noisy bag. After it was removed, the council belatedly got in touch with Mr Thornhill and said they were planning to come around sometime this week.

Mr Thornhill commented:

“I’m very grateful to Councillor Meldrum and the Fire Brigade for sorting this out for me, but it does seem a little strange that the council couldn’t have done it themselves.”

Labour Councillor Jackie Meldrum Commented:

“An elderly resident shouldn’t have to suffer two weeks without a good nights sleep just because Liberal Democrats don’t know how to run an efficient clean up operation. Many thanks to the Fire Brigade for bailing them out!”

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