Where did £5,400 come from?

Published: Friday, 08 January 2010

WHERE on earth did the figure of £5,400 to clean mould from the mural at Dallow Lock wall painting come from? Asks Chris Powis. I haven't seen the damage but I have a fair idea of what is to blame. If the painting is protected by a sheet of transparent rigid plastic mounted on widgets that space it away from the painting itself then the problem is even easier to deal with as follows after unscrewing fittings and removing  plastic sheet:

  • 1. Clean it with a proprietary anti-bacterial containing detergent material not the spray-on stuff you see in supermarkets. The stuff in supermarkets usually contains a quaternary ammonium compound of the same family as fabric and hair conditioners and mould/algae actually feed off the fatty acid component of such materials. What is needed is a disinfecting cleaner containing a good anti-fungal and there is a company called Premier Finishes in Kettering that has just such a product.

  • 2. Clean the mould from the painting using the same material, rinse off with clean water and then spray the painting with a diluted solution of the anti-bacterial.

  • 3. Allow to dry and re-assemble.

If I were a bit closer, I'd do it for half the sum quoted and live very well for a couple of months!

By the way, when I checked the contact details for Shobnall Parish Council, the Parish Clerk is listed as Mr C. Smith (no address, telephone number or email address available). How the b****y hell is anyone supposed to contact him?

Richard Emsley has discovered how to get in touch with the Parish Clerk:

http://www.eaststaffsbc.gov.uk/Services/Pages/ParishCouncils.aspx