Wembley in the s**t

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

FRESH SETBACK FOR WEMBLEY

 

Building of the new Wembley Stadium has suffered a fresh setback after defects were detected in its sewer pipes, it was reported on Thursday.

 

Ground movement led to the pipes buckling beneath the £757million site in north London.

 

Engineering sources told The Sun that work to rectify the problems at the 90,000-seater stadium could take up to eight months.

 

A worker on the site told the newspaper: "Pipes buckled because the ground around them had moved.

 

"Water and waste from flushed toilets would have backed up and overflowed if no repairs were done.

 

"On match day, when tens of thousands of people use the toilets at the same time, that just doesn't bear thinking about."

 

Defects with the sewer pipes are the latest setback to dog the Wembley project, following the collapse of a roof rafter this week which led to thousands of workers being sent home.

 

Steve Kelly, of the GMB union, said: "When the pipes are laid, they have to be supported properly underneath, especially where they join.

 

"But it doesn't appear as if this happened and the pipes have dropped, causing them to become buckled.

 

"Apparently they are now going to have to dig up the pipes and repair them but that is a process that is going to take months. It's just one disaster after another."

 

On Monday engineers said a rafter on the north roof collapsed without warning, falling about one metre, as several men were working on it.

 

The section of the roof where the incident happened was being investigated to find out what caused the 50-tonne steel rafter to move.

 

The incident followed an announcement last month that the stadium would not be ready for the May 13 FA Cup final, as originally planned, and the game would instead be played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

 

England's two World Cup warm-up friendly matches - against Hungary on May 30 and Jamaica on June 3 - will now be played at Old Trafford.

 

The FA had already allowed Multiplex to move the completion deadline several times.

 

The original autumn 2005 handover date was pushed back to January 31 2006 and then March 31.

 

The stadium was dogged by delays and problems even before the site was sold to the FA in 1998. The original £325million cost has more than doubled and there were numerous wrangles and problems in raising the money before construction got under way.

[Renton 20970]

That sounds exactly like the old Wembley tbh.

[Gemmill 43946]

Be lucky to be ready for next year's cup final at this rate.

[Guest Sima]

8/1 you could get at the bookies on that earlier in the week.

[Guest alex]

8/1 you could get at the bookies on that earlier in the week.

109724[/snapback]

Really? The workers made a killing again then?

[Dr Gloom 21736]

incompetent tbh. wales knocked out the millennium stadium in a year or two. wembley has taken the best part of seven years and has run million over budget.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

incompetent tbh. wales knocked out the millennium stadium in a year or two.

109781[/snapback]

At a fraction of the cost too.

[Lazarus 0]

that firm may as well declare itself bankrupt now

[LeazesMag 0]

So we might get another visit to the Millenium after all

[Bellers 0]

Couldn't care less really, Wembley's a cockney thing and always will be.

[Matt 0]

incompetent tbh. wales knocked out the millennium stadium in a year or two.

109781[/snapback]

At a fraction of the cost too.

109830[/snapback]

 

At such a fraction of the cost that the main contractor was later bought for £1.00 exactly as it stared liquidation in the face.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

incompetent tbh. wales knocked out the millennium stadium in a year or two.

109781[/snapback]

At a fraction of the cost too.

109830[/snapback]

 

At such a fraction of the cost that the main contractor was later bought for £1.00 exactly as it stared liquidation in the face.

109860[/snapback]

That'll make 'em a quid better off than Multiplex then.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Wembley workers laid off over pay

 

Workers helping build the new Wembley Stadium have been laid off over a pay row with contractors.

 

Union officials said steelworkers, scaffolders and welders were given notice that they would no longer be employed as of next Tuesday.

 

The 120 lay-offs, the latest problem to hit the new £757m stadium, are because sub-contractors have not been paid.

 

Last week work stopped for a day after a 50-tonne steel rafter fell from the roof of the stadium.

 

'Carry on working'

 

The GMB union said its members had been told they were being laid off because there was not enough money to pay wages.

 

National officer Tom Kelly said: "We have instructed our members to carry on working normally until we have an opportunity to resolve the matter.

 

"The stadium is not finished and someone will have to employ our members to finish the job."

 

Frank Westerman, of Amicus, said: "We have advised our members to work normally while we try to resolve who is going to employ them and ensure that they will be paid."

 

Pipes buckled

 

The construction company, Multiplex, issued a statement saying: "This is an issue between Hollandia and Fast Track Services.

 

"We're looking to Hollandia for continuity of work and we've just met with the shop stewards who have given Multiplex assurances that they will continue to work while Hollandia discusses the issues with Fast Track Services."

 

Last week, Multiplex also said work to repair underground sewer pipes would not affect the completion deadline for the stadium.

 

Pipes running beneath the 90,000-seater arena in north-west London have buckled due to ground movement.

 

Multiplex is due to give an update on the progress of the project.

 

Bets on for it not being ready for next years cup final?

[Isegrim 9661]

[Howaythetoon 0]

Waste of money building that thing, hope the fecker falls down.