US Edition This time it’s a broken water main that poured water on the already damp relationship, causing up to £250,000 of damage and the office to be evacuated for half a day, so I hear.
The two companies have been at war ever since Arab Investments started construction on its 300m high Pinnacle tower next door to Hiscox’s London headquarters.
Vibration, noise and now water damage have led to lots of lovely work for the lawyers. And now this.
The beauty of this complaint is that it was all captured on CCTV.
Builder digging away on the site of the Pinnacle hits the water main causing a lively fountain to spring up. What’s the first thing he does? Try to fill in the hole, of course. A couple of scoops of his JCB later he realises the game is up and can be seen making a quick exit to the top of the screen.
Dashwood hears the clip has been set to Benny Hill music in the offices of Hiscox.
What fun. Capture all the action by clicking here.
If the lawyers involved on both sides want to watch it feel free, but be kind, it’s only two minutes long, don’t charge your clients for the time.
Gobbling up Von Essen
So no one’s borrowing, no one’s lending and no one’s doing business. Perhaps, but not entirely, according to Dashwood’s man in the market.
While everyone else has taken to their credit crunch shell, Andrew Davis’ luxury Von Essen Hotels chain is ready to check in a new guest. The company that owns Amberley Castle in West Sussex has hired UBS to find a co-investor for the £500m group. Who are top of the guest list?
Word is that Middle Eastern group Qatari Diar and billionaire businessman Joe Lewis, are top of the list.
Why the deal now? Davis is thought to be looking to raise around £200m. Hotel Du Vin is reputed to be on the market for just a little more than that. I wonder…
Banking bosses aren’t covered
Protests in the City against bankers last Friday? Unfair, I hear you shout. Quite right, what do these protestors know? Not a lot, as it turns out.
I hear the protest started outside The Royal Exchange, and then had to move sheepishly over the road to the Bank of England when they realised their mistake.
Never mind, we all make mistakes, as bankers know only too well. But instead of shouting at bankers perhaps we should be passing round the hat.
Dashwood has discovered that the only people not covered by the £50,000 Government deposit guarantee is guess who? Yup, banking bosses (FSA’s COMP Rule 4.2.7. if you are interested).
In the spirit of compassion I call up the banks to let them know. Just as I thought, no one is aware. “Very kind of you tell us. I’ll be sure to pass it on,” says one press office.
But do directors bank with their own organisations? Funnily enough, no one would tell me.
No roadside erotica for Little Chef’s birthday
Party time at Little Chef. The roadside café is celebrating its half century next month.
What will they be serving at their big birthday bash? Scampi and chips or champagne and caviar? The question apparently is still up in the air.
What Dashwood understands is that the one thing they won’t be having anything to do with is hotelier, gin maker and all round bon viveur Martin Miller.
The man most famous for his late-night parties with celebrities such as Kate Moss and Jimmy Page had been lined up to organise the event at his Notting Hill pad.
Then, or so my sources say, Little Chef management ditched him. Apparently they didn’t take to another of his sidelines, the Erotic Film Festival he has planned for next year.
“Flies in the face of our family values,” says my man at the motorway service station. Shame. I rather liked the idea of bondage burgers and corset-cut chips.