Peter Rhodes on uni fees, water thieves and the epic task of repairing a leak in a wood

Firstly, a well-oiled emergency plan swung into action to deliver plastic bottles of water (the Bottles of Hastings?) to all 30,000 properties. There were some glitches but I doubt if even the Royal Mail could have delivered so many items to so many correct addresses so promptly.

The burst pipe lay deep underground in a thick forest. It was the most difficult and inaccessible burst some experts had ever seen. Yet Southern Water somehow assembled a team and the machinery to cut down 50 trees, excavate a massive hole, cut out the huge old pipe, and replace it with a new section.