Is Britain literally falling apart? IE only asks the question becauee it isn’t just the pothole plague affecting the roads, due to deliberate neglect by Councils and regional governments. Bridges, tunnels, railway embankments – all the infrastructure created over the last two centuries or so is starting to wear out and there seems precious little willpower to repair it, or replace it with modern versions. Whether deliberate neglect can be proved in court is a moot point, but insurers would be wise to walk away from public sector coverage in some scenarios.
IE Ed Alastair looks at the more recent incidents;
Hammersmith Bridge London – closed for five years, unlikely to ever re-open except for bicycles of pedestrians. Even that is a 10 week trial period, so demolition seems the most likely outcome for this historic bridge crossing.
Dartford Tunnel – currently closed for repairs, probably will re-open tomorrow.
Drypool Bridge Hull – closed, possibly for a year according to latest info from the Council.
Leeds – Derelict building collapses in Kirkgate, city centre yesterday.
Northwich railway station – roof collapsed back in 2021, repairs took until March 2024 to complete. Local media link here.
Ipswich sinkhole – the hole is still cordoned off a month after it appeared.
Grange-over-Sands – a potential tragedy was narrowly averted when a train derailed recently, after a landslip left the rails hanging in the air. You have to ask the question, why was the track not inspected more regularly in winter, as the coastal line took the brunt of several months of heavy rainfall? The ground is currently being, excavated, relaid, plus new ballast and track laid, with work expected to be finished in early May.
Cumbria – The Old Courthouse, a Grade II listed building in Cockermouth partially collapsed last year, after local residents complained that it appeared to be in danger for some years previously. The Council now says they will carry out some works to stabilise what is left and send the bill to the owner. Good luck with that.
RAAC Concrete – it’s an ongoing nationwide problem, as Councils and other public sector agencies struggle to find the budget to purchase, demolish and replace thousands of buildings put up on the cheap from the 50s to the 80s, many of which were multi-storey flats for rent. Many schools, hospital outbuildings and Police stations were also made from this “Aero chocolate” variant of concrete in the past.
The big question is how does the UK find the money to service massive Covid debt, house one million migrants per year, plus donate billions to vanity wars overseas – and repair its crumbling infrastructure? It’s a headache that the next government will have to resolve, but the track record of all main political parties is woeful on infrastructure like roads, housing, bridges and railways, ever since the Blair/Brown era. Some PFI magic money plus Alastair Campbell spin isn’t going to fix things this time around.
Something very serious is going to happen soon and insurers working with the public sector need to be extra careful that they are not landed with a huge bill for fixing the problems that elected officials have caused in the past.
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