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The Mackley team that carried out emergency repairs to the sea defence wall in Southsea over the Christmas holiday period has been praised by the Leader of Portsmouth City Council.
In a letter to Mackley MD Tony Camilerri, Councillor Donna Jones said she “wanted to put on record how impressed we have been with the whole response”.
Working as part of Team Van Oord*, the Mackley team was called into action to support the Environment Agency following the collapse of a stretch of the sea wall at Southsea on 28 December 2015.
The breach occurred when waves crashed over the top of the wall and penetrated the foundations, causing the concrete to expand and split the structure.
Councillor Jones (left) said: “We are writing to personally thank you for your swift response in repairing the damage. We are conscious that the issue occurred during the festive season and are very grateful to the individuals who gave up their holiday time to carry out the emergency repairs at such short notice.
“We have been impressed with the whole response including the initial assessment of damage and safety precautions that were taken; the procurement and transportation of materials/equipment to site; and the remedial works that have been undertaken over the last two weeks.”
Councillor Jones specifically mentioned Mackley employees Steve Martin, Vic Gretton Jnr, Mark Wakefield, Norman Jones and Kevin Heater.
Responding, Tony Camilerri said: “We appreciate Councillor Jones’ comments and thank her for taking the time to record the council’s appreciation for our efforts.
“Dealing with the risk of flooding and the consequences of storms and extreme weather is not a nine to five job. We are on standby 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – that is the nature of our work.
“Equally important, our teams have the experience and expertise to know how to deal with incidents such as the one at Southsea in the most efficient, cost effective and safe manner.
“We are very fortunate to have a truly outstanding team of project managers, engineers and operatives who are not phased by projects others may shy away from.”
*Team Van Oord
Team Van Oord is a joint venture partnership between Van Oord, Kier Group, Mackley Construction and Royal HaskoningDHV.
Photo credit: Victoria Jones, Solent News (top pic)
15 January 2016
