One of these Docklands jobs in a stylish new apartment was worth a laugh. We were called in by this guy who had discovered that when he flushed his loo several times in succession, on the second flush the flushing water was warm, on the third it was hot, and on subsequent occasions it arrived steaming. I didn't get it at first, any more than the punter, who had been in the brand-new flat for months without noticing, so it seemed to him that it had only just started to happen. Of course, Peter got it right away. The cistern was connected to the hot water system instead of the cold. It came in cold the first time because it had had time to cool before the next flush. If it had been in our house, it would have been boiling the whole time. The loo doesn't feature much idle time at the Campbells.

Another problem at one of the new apartments in the same block was the mysterious stream of scalding water that shot from the overflow pipe of the central heating. This geyser could erupt at almost any time of day, and the pipe was directed into a little courtyard behind the flats. Everyone was terrified to cross the yard in case it was time for Old Faithful. Even the local cats avoided the place. It almost  stumped Peter, because everything seemed connected up OK. It turned out that the inlet and outlet pipes on the boiler had been reversed, and it was a miracle that it worked at all, which it seemed to mostly.