Direct action

When a resident reported a children's slide that was in a dirty state I needed to find out who was responsible for maintenance so that I could get it cleaned. The District Council offices didn't know who was responsible so I went to check for a phone number on the play area itself (small play areas are often maintained privately on behalf of developers).

When I saw that the problem was eggs that had been thrown at it, I just went home for a bucket of soapy water and cleaned it myself. I could have mobilised the maintenance contractor, but it would have taken too long and the cost would have been charged back to the residents.