| Planners
‘erection’ email chaos
A COUNCIL planning department was hit by chaos — after computers banned "erection" from emails. The word is one of the most commonly used terms in applications for building works. But it was also included in a list of obscene expressions to be filtered out by software used by Rochdale Council, Greater Manchester.Householder Ray Kennedy, 51, sent three emails to the council objecting to a neighbour’s new extension. The first two were blocked because they included the word erection, which the computer thought was a sexual reference. The third email slipped through the screening net — but by then the neighbour had already got permission for the work to go ahead. The first two were blocked because they included the word erection, which the computer thought was a sexual reference. The third email slipped through the screening net — but by then the neighbour had already got permission for the work to go ahead.Ray, of Middleton, said: "Erection is a normal term in planning. But it was stopped because of its other meaning. I was shocked. Maybe if it didn’t affect me I’d find it funny. "This proposal was clearly passed without my objections being heard. It is not fair." A Rochdale Council spokesman said: "The software is not designed by the council and we don’t control which words are blocked. We’ will be apologising to the resident." |
