Monday, August 03, 2009

Not just ugly – it is dangerous

imageThe newspaper Laverdad have been showing this picture of an electricity service box for some time now.

Located on Calle General Bañuls in Bigastro, you can see that it has been broken and is now kept upright with a plank of wood bound to it with wire.

I can tell you exactly why it is in that state. Youths have either kicked or pushed it until the plastic casing where bolts hold it to the concrete block snapped. No doubt they gained immense satisfaction in the process.

There is a vacant plot on Calle Le Vigan just round the corner from our house where young people have done exactly the same thing to all of the service boxes: water, gas, electricity and telephone.

The electricity box was eventually supported in the same way as the one in the photograph with a plank of wood behind. The gas and water boxes had large blocks cemented to them either side and the telephone box was replaced by Telefónica.

They have tried to dislodge the electricity box since with little success. Within months, they had broken the second telephone box and recently have managed to push the water and the gas boxes over again.

I got a heavy plank from my neighbour which I used to fasten the telephone box back up in the same way as the electricity box in this photo. I piled  concrete blocks and stones behind the plank to stop it from being dislodged and bound the box to the post with strong wire. Youths have had a go at it and managed to stretch the wire but so far it is still standing. Our fear is that if it gets damaged further we will loose the telephone line and our ADSL connection.

I noticed yesterday that someone has put the gas and water boxes back in place. How long they will stay there is anyone’s guess.

Our hope is that, eventually someone will come and build on the vacant plot. At that time they will presumably replace the boxes and build them into a wall. It is just a pity that they weren’t built into a wall in the first place.

For the moment, they stand as a testimony to the vandals that come up to La Pedrera just like the box on Calle General Bañuls is a testimony to the vandals in that area.

1 comment:

Pete said...

Maybe you could join the boxes. Take a nice fat wire from the electricity box and hook it up to the phone box. That should deter vandals - at least after they've tried it once!

Seriously though, I understand your concerns. Losing your services because of mindless vandalism is not something you want to risk.

I'll never understand it.