Whilst drilling horizontally for a new pipeline within 200 metres of private residences in Kent, unforeseen geological conditions resulted in drilling slurry traversing horizontally and flooding out through a well adjacent to the front door of one of the houses.

An intense fire destroyed much of the interior of an industrial unit which was part of a larger building owned by clients of Metcalfe Briggs Surveyors.   Smoke spread to the whole building, causing extensive contamination and the need for a major clear up operation.

A newly constructed indoor swimming pool was completely destroyed by an electrical fire which also spread to the extensive garages and outbuildings, resulting in a total loss, fortunately not spreading to the large rural house adjacent.

The aptly named Brook Cottage in Surrey was subject to extensive flooding of the ground floor after the persistent rainfall in the autumn of 2000.

Further education clients of Metcalfe Briggs Surveyors were having heavy equipment delivered to their premises when a 40 ton crane reversed into their theatre teaching building.

On the same evening, two church fires were started deliberately in unconnected locations in Kent, one causing localised damage to the interior of the church and extensive smoke blackening and the second causing extensive damage to the stage and ceiling of a church hall and destruction of the oak plank flooring.

Late on New Year’s Eve a 200 year old eight foot high retaining wall collapsed, landing on the neighbour’s prestige car.

A majority utilities replacement programme resulted in a foul drain becoming broken under a residential street in Tonbridge, Kent and raw sewage leaking into a nearby basement, the residence of an elderly lady.