Havant You Done This Before?

PPS were recently commissioned to carry out a 90+ cross section job in Havant, on the south coast of England.

A fair trek away from PPS HQ, there was plenty of time sat in vehicles on the way up and down at either end of a two-week stint.

But that didn’t deter the team from a highly successful fortnight.

With 10 reaches – a series of drainage ditches with sluice gates and large hydraulic structures to survey, it was all hands on deck. And the weather on day one could have been enough to put anyone off. Starting with a positively boiling 27 degrees and finishing in a monsoon not seen in these parts for many a year.

Drenched, the work party continued – via daily breakfast stops at Station Cafe. A proper workers’ cafe, the Station is keeping British classics such as bubble and squeak and livers on the menu. A perfect start to any day.

Thankfully the first day of weather was just a tease and we were rain free for most of the couple of weeks. And we welcomed a new member to the team – our new Trimble R12i GPS, making the job much smoother.

2023 has seen us upgrade the majority of our kit – it really is remarkable how technology has advanced over the last 20 years that we’ve been in the business and it’s exciting to wonder what may be around the corner!

With some investigative work required along the way, including manhole lifting and culvert pipe tracing, we weren’t fully sure what to expect on the job. But our adaptability allowed the job to be completed on time and 90 requested cross sections – plus several additionals – later, we were done. Another PPS success!

A five hour journey home awaited us at the end of the job, but there was still time for us to fill our ever burgeoning bellies with one last trip to Station Cafe. Just a slice of toast this time though please, boss.